Despite research suggesting that library foot traffic is down, they still play an important role in some communities.
Libraries have been supposedly fading from existence for years now, but a recent study by the Pew Research Center and 65 percent of Americans begs to differ.
“I go to the library all the time,” Molly McIlvain, an Ohio University junior studying health administration, said. “I go to study mostly now and to use the printer, but I still think people go just to read and check out books.”
Public library traffic has slightly waned in the last three years, according to the study, but the need for its services has not. It has actually increased in surprising ways.
Kelly Broughton, the assistant dean for research and education services at Alden Library, said the increase might be due to the diversification of services.
“(Public libraries) offer both resources in terms of information and sometimes even other types of resources,” Broughton said. “Our public library here in Athens loans bicycles, so there are really cool types of things in addition to spaces and programing.”
Book-a-Bike is a free bike borrowing program out of the Athens, Nelsonville and The Plains branches of the Athens County Public Libraries.
Even as Americans demand more from public libraries, the Pew Research Center claims that those 16 and older are “less likely to say they have visited a library or bookmobile in-person in the past 12 months, visited a library website or used a library’s computers and Internet access.”
Broughton, however, puts emphasis on the word “in-person.” The “nature of information,” she said, has resulted in less foot traffic.
“More people read things online,” she said. “I can check out my books online without ever going to the public library.”
Just because it is a digital age, Broughton said, it doesn’t mean the actual library space is antiquated.
“A lot of libraries have done programing in their buildings that bring people in who otherwise wouldn’t,” she said, citing examples of early literacy programs and rented spaces available for group meetings.
Libraries hold a long and treasured tradition of the free lending of print books. But according to the Pew Research Center, 70 percent of Americans believe that libraries should consider moving some print books to make room for things like “tech centers.”
For the most part, Broughton said she thinks they are right.
“It depends on how they’ve been curating their collection,” she said. “Most libraries today have materials in them that are not highly used. If a library is seeing a situation where the number of people coming through their doors is decreasing, then the things inside the buildings are probably less attractive to people.”
Moving less-used materials to make room for a more desirable space, Broughton said, is a great way to increase foot traffic.
The study states that nearly 80 percent believe libraries should consider purchasing new technologies, such as 3-D printers, to let people explore them and Devin Sheline, a junior studying education, agreed.
“That sounds like a really cool idea,” Sheline said. “I get all my readings online, but I’d definitely go to the library if they had a 3-D printer.”
Sheline also said an increase in available technology could go a long way in encouraging people to go out of their way to go to the library.
Much of the struggle with how libraries should continue to operate, Broughton said, is an individual issue.
“You may be able to do a huge proportion of your work using our online materials and never have to use our building. … As long as you’re getting the information you need to educate yourself, because that’s most important,” Broughton said. “On the other hand, are there things that we can do to give you an even better education and bring you into our building to do them? Yeah, there are.”
Broughton said she does believe, however, that public libraries play a very important role in communities and thinks they will continue to do so.
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