Library 2016 By Stephen Abram

When I tell family and friends that I am taking classes to get my masters in information and library science I am usually met with remarks such as: “Aren’t libraries closing down?” and “Doesn’t everyone just Google it?” While I have personally observed as a library assistant, that people are still using the public library, I didn’t really have any written documentation to corroborate this. Reading Stephen Abram’s article, Librarianship, I came across a research organization that answers these questions. The report, Libraries 2016, written by John Horrigan and released by the Pew Research Center, examines library usage patterns and users’ opinions. This report is based on a telephone survey taken over a month in 2016 of 1,601 adults. It is conducted yearly with data collected beginning in 2012.

He then continues reviewing the collected data by dividing it into three parts. The first section labeled Americans Attitudes Towards Public Libraries discusses that most people feel that libraries are important to their community and help people decide what information they can trust. The second, Library Usage and Engagement, shows there is an increase in people are coming to the library to attend programs and meetings. The third is labeled A Portrait of Those Who Have Never Been to the Library. It shows that although some Americans do not use the library, they feel that the impact of a library closure would affect the community. After the conclusion of this discussion Horrigan explains the methodology used in collecting the data and the questionnaire with a graft of answers produced from the phone interviews. The graft includes totals from 2012, 2013, and