Ninety percent of Americans aged 16 and older said that if their local public library closed that it would impact their community, and 63 percent said that it would have a major impact.
These Americans say that libraries play an important role in their communities. In fact, ninety-five percent of these citizens said that the materials and resources available at public libraries are important in giving anyone the chance to succeed. In addition, 95 percent of those surveyed said that public libraries promote literacy and a love of reading. The report also found that majority of people (94 percent) report that the public library improves the quality of life in a community.
While most people love their library, only 34 percent of Americans aged 16 and older think that public libraries have not done a good job at staying up to date with technology. In fact, 55 percent of people said that libraries do not do a good job keeping up with technology. In addition, more than half (52 percent) of Americans said that people don’t need public libraries as much as they used.