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The State of America’s Libraries

When I meet someone for the first time and they find out where I work they sometimes act a little surprised. To explain their surprise they may ask a question such as do people still use libraries? Doesn’t everyone just find what they need on the Internet? Do people still read? These types of questions are not generally intended to be facetious; people simply wonder. Based on how rapidly lives have changed some people find themselves questioning the vital role of libraries and if libraries can keep up.

Regardless of the exact question my answer is always ardent. We are extremely busy, busier than ever. Not everyone has access to the Internet. Many people need help using and finding information on the Internet. And people are still reading!

Thanks to the American Library Association (ALA) I now have cold hard data to back up my assertions. This month the ALA released a national report on the state of America’s libraries detailing library usage.

I am happy to report libraries are not only surviving in this day and age, we are thriving:

• Almost 1.8 billion visitors checked out more than 2 billion items in 2006
  
  
• Visits to public libraries in the United States increased 61 percent from 1994 and 2004.
  
  
• Circulation increased 28 percent from 1994 to 2004
  
  
• Public library visits increased about 3 percent and circulation increased 2.3 percent from 2003 to 2004
  
  
• Circulation of children’s materials increased 44 percent from 1994 to 2004
  
  
• Attendance in children’s programs increased 42 percent from 1994 to 2004
  
  
• 99 percent of public libraries provide free public computer access to the Internet (another study released in March showed that only 69 percent of U.S. households have Internet access)

The report shows how America’s libraries are continuing to provide essential traditional and innovative services to all types of communities and individual users across the country every single day. Nothing obsolete about us!

Laura Tretter, Director
San Juan Island Library
360.378.2798
ltretter@sjlib.org

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