It is a safe place to meet friends, use the internet or get help with school assignments. Those 65 and older are the least likely to have used a library in the past 12 months, while high schoolers are by far the most likely ages group to have visited a library, especially for research purposes. “The salesperson at Barnes and Noble (where I bought my e-reader) told me about the service,” he said. Many of our online panelists said that they used their library’s website much more often since they started borrowing e-books, but were split on how their in-person visits to the library’s physical branch have been affected. Sixteen percent used the library to learn more about local matters, social or political issues, etc., that they are involved in. Your school library encourages curiosity, innovation and problem-solving. Many seem to have heard about e-book borrowing from the library’s website—especially patrons who were already using the library’s website regularly to reserve books. Importance of public library services. The library is a popular place in the academic curriculum. A library offers us education, relaxation and access to all sorts of books, magazines, music and movies that we could never afford to buy. (+1) 202-857-8562 | Fax “I find myself engaged by the ability to download e-books and more excited to see what’s new in the branch.” Added another: “I pretty much got my Kindle only because the library started offering e-books to check out. Our national survey showed that 58% of Americans ages 16 and older said they had a library card. Finally, many had been unaware of whether or not their library offered e-books, but started seeking out information on e-book borrowing once they had purchased an e-reader (or were thinking of getting one). A library is also now seen as a place, physical or virtual, where resources of learning are available in multiple forms, such as books, journals, magazines, videos, music, etc. While a majority of respondents in all age groups say that the public library is at least somewhat important to them and their family, just 45% of high schoolers say that the library is not important or “not too important”. Among those who borrowed e-books from a public library in 2011, almost two-thirds say the selection at their library is “good” (32%), “very good” (18%), or “excellent” (16%). College libraries benefit from scalable infrastructure, role-based … 37% of Americans under age 30 (and 35% of all Americans) used their library in the past year to borrow print books. 16% of those under age 30 (and 14% of all Americans) used their library to access or borrow magazines or journals. I use my library’s website to get into their databases, like LearningExpress and Job & Career Builder. The school library plays a great role in the life of students by serving as the store house of knowledge.The importance of a library in a school cannot be over emphasized.While the role of the school library remains constant, its … 1. The better the selection, the more people will use it.”, An e-book borrower in her late twenties said, “Many books are not available for Apple products and the OverDrive app will not turn up those books in a search. “I just lost a book I’d been waiting for weeks because I was travelling and could not download it.”. Article Shared By. Among print readers, 65% of high schoolers had checked out a print book from a public library in the past year (compared with 48% of all respondents), with roughly half of these borrowers having done so one to five times. High schoolers, 43% have gotten research help from a librarian in the past year, compared with 20% of all respondents. Another wrote, “We spend a significant part of our day explaining how to get library books onto e-book readers.” Future surveys in the next stage of our libraries research will explore technology services at libraries in more detail.14. An online library is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. “Maybe they could send out a mailer to let people know?”, “I was exploring the library webpage and found a link to NetLibrary. The diversity in America, one of the things … 18% of e-book borrowers said that at one point or another they found that the e-book they were interested in was not compatible with the e-reading device they were using. “[It] never stays logged in on a device!”, Many were also frustrated with the multiple log-in screens they are required to navigate when checking out e-books. Library is a place where there is huge collection of books and various other resources that are made accessible for reading and reference purpose. However, if you want to read his third novel, you might be able to find it. Essay on Library Uses and Importance – Essay 2 (300 words) Introduction. See “Libraries, Patrons, and E-books” (2012). It helps the spread of education. And while our young online panelists generally felt that it was easy enough to search for e-books on their libraries’ systems, browsing was another matter: Others just wanted to be able to access the e-books that are currently available. Libraries are Pew Research Center does not take policy positions. A high school-aged rural respondent, for instance, wrote that since she started borrowing e-books, “I tend to go to the physical branch less often because if I can borrow a book in digital format I can start reading it faster.” Another panelist wrote that while he preferred borrowing e-books to print books, he would visit the library when that was not possible: “I go to the library branch to search for books that I can’t get online, and I also go there to do some reading and discover any new books that the library has gotten in.”, Not everyone has seen a change in their reading habits. Another example is that I am moving this week, and have been packing up my personal books and returning my library books, but I still want something to read. A reader can either read in the library or borrow the books of his choice and take them home.