The 2012 State of America’s Libraries
Most librarians wait with bated breath to read ALA’s annual report on the state of America’s libraries. This year’s report is as interesting as previous years, chock full of charts, graphs, and statistical data covering such topics as: top 10 frequently challenged books; the publishing industry’s push to limit library ebook lending; increased usage of library resources during the Great Recession of 2011; navigating the “new normal” of slashed budgets; and more!
More than 60 pages are devoted to the state of public, school and academic libraries, with a focus on the rise of eMedia and social networking. For those of you wanting to read the full report, go here.
Libraries continue to make a difference in the lives of customers by adapting to and adopting new and emerging technologies. The report stated that public libraries all over the country have seen an increase in usage of materials and services by those impacted by the economic downturn. According to Susan Hildreth, director of the Institute of Museum and Library Services (ILMS), “Not only do visits and circulation continue to rise, the role of public libraries in providing Internet resources to the public continues to increase as well…”
While funding for the Metropolitan Library System remains strong, libraries in most parts of the country faced decreases at both the state and local levels. Many systems have had to make tough choices regarding services as their budgets continue to drop. For example, in Texas, the overall state library budget will shrink from $19.8 million to $7.2 million, while support for programs drops to $1.6 million from a previous budget allocation of $12.8 million.
The decision made by Random House to increase its eBook prices (by 100-200%) has had a significant impact on public libraries. The demand for eMedia service has nearly doubled over the past 5 years, paralleling the incredible popularity of the new reading devices.
Finally, of much interest to public libraries over the last year has been the rise of social media and Web 2.0 applications and tools. Studies have found that social networking is highly effective in publicizing library events. In addition, tools such as Facebook and Twitter help build community relationships by allowing customers to comment, question, or provide feedback about library services. That, in a nutshell, is the state of public libraries in America. If you want to know more about what’s going on academic and school libraries, check it out!
Discussion Topics
- What trends or findings in the report did you find most interesting? Most troubling?
- The report states that 95% of all teens 12-17 years old are now online, 80% of which are users of social media sites. How might we utilize these tools to grow a new generation of library users?
- A previous Librarian Links article gave details about the rise of e-Reading. In light of increasing budget cuts and the publishing industry’s determination to increase ebook prices, what effect might this have on our customer base? If our community continues to clamor for access to ebooks, what kind of impact on physical materials and services could occur to assure we meet customer demand?
- Our new Northwest Library will be a LEED-certified building. Increasingly, libraries around the country are taking the lead in going green. How might we take a leadership role in helping communities learn and understand what green buildings mean for them?
- What do you envision will be the state of libraries in the coming year?
Jana Hausburg, Manager of Library Operations for the Capitol Hill Library, provided this great article and discussion topics on ALA's State of American Libraries Report.
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Comments
What a great article Jana! I can't wait to get a look at the report and stay current with changes in the world of libraries.
I have a couple of responses to your discussion topics, Jana. In regard to serving teens and the 80% of the population on social media sites (80% may be signed up for an account but I doubt that 80% actually use the sites regularly) I think they provide a great opportunity for library advocacy. They allow us to be out among our customers in their milieu instead of waiting for them to come into our buildings or call. It would have to be done within SH 620.4 Guidelines of Employees’ Use of Public Internet Communication, of course, but we could reply to online articles and Facebook status updates and tweets with information from the library. I'm not really talking PR, but if someone is asking a question or is seeking information then we could provide an answer. Of course you can do this on your own so long as it's clear that you aren't acting as an official for MLS. Ultimately, I think the more we're 'friends' with our customers and the more we're present in their lives, the more valuable we become.
Regarding your e-reading topic, the numbers show that the e-reading craze has increased reading across the board and across all formats. So it seems like we should not see a drop off in use of traditional materials. But it does mean we need to remain sharp and continue to provide the books that people want and we also need to be up on our reader's advisory so we can be sure to provide the best service and the best value for our customers. Because one finding was that avid e-readers prefer to buy rather than borrow, we need to be able to show them how much more they get for their tax dollar by using all of the library's services.
I'm interested in seeing how things work out for the publishers who have been hostile to libraries. Similar acts of hubris over the last decade backfired on the recording industry and I suspect they will have to backtrack on some of their tactics. The "big five" have already been brought before the Federal Trade Commission for colluding on prices with Apple.