LibraryRunner

National Library Week 2022

It's National Library Week!  Every April, we take a week to celebrate and promote libraries of all kinds. 

Libraries are:

• the best place to get help with your research
• staffed with friendly and knowledgeable librarians and staff
• repositories of the world's knowledge, wisdom, and heritage
• "the gates to the future"  (Neil Gaiman says so!)
• an essential part of a healthy democratic society
• a great place to hang out, study or relax, and charge your device

Come into the college libraries (Main or CHC) to grab some fun library swag, see displays of our very favorite books that you might like to read too, and maybe win a prize!    And be sure to say hello to your friendly neighborhood librarians.

Check out some fun library facts below -- with citations, of course!

Students’ academic success is linked to library usage, including improved student retention and an enhanced academic experience.
--Academic Library Impact on Student Learning and Success: Findings from the Assessment in Action Team Projects http://www.ala.org/acrl/sites/ala.org.acrl/files/content/issues/value/findings_y3.pdf

Libraries play a critical role in the happiness of Americans. Communities that spend more on libraries, parks and highways are shown to support the well-being of community members.
Patrick Flavin. State government public goods spending and citizens' quality of life. Social Science Research, 2018; DOI: 10.1016/j.ssresearch.2018.11.004

Americans go to public libraries more often than they go to the movies.
From 2016 PLS: 1,353,081,000 public library visits per year (Public Libraries Survey, FY 2016, Table 8, Supplementary Tables
https://www.imls.gov/sites/default/files/fy2016_pls_tables.pdf)  vs. 1.24 billion movie admissions in 2017 (https://www.mpaa.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/MPAA-THEME-Report-2017_Final.pdf)

Librarians have long championed their community members’ right to access information privately, and serve as an essential refuge where everyone can check out materials or browse the internet without their information being shared.
Mary Madden, Lee Rainie. Pew Research Center, May 20, “Americans’ Attitudes About Privacy, Security and Surveillance.” Available at:
http://www.pewinternet.org/2015/05/20/americans-attitudes-about-privacy-security-and-surveillance/

Everyone in a college benefits from the college library, yet they receive fewer than two cents of every dollar spent on higher education.
Total Academic Library Expenditures (iPEDS/National Center for Education Statistics, 2018): $8,293,263,695
Data generated from NCES IPEDS Statistical Tables. Visit link at https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/datacenter/institutionlist.aspx?stepId=1

Digital media titles in U.S. academic libraries have increased by 50% since 2014.
Data generated from NCES IPEDS Statistical Tables. Visit link at https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/datacenter/institutionlist.aspx?stepId=1

Libraries strengthen local economies.

• 84% of libraries offer technology training to patrons in computer software use;
• 76.8% of libraries provide online health resources and 60% offer programs to help Americans identify health insurance resources and get better informed on health topics;
• 73.1% of libraries provide programs that assist individuals apply for jobs, create resumes, and prepare for interviews;
• 97% of libraries help people complete online government forms.

Libraries create healthier communities.

• 77% of libraries offer online health resources.
• 59% provide programs on finding health insurance.
• 58% provide programs to help people find and evaluate health information.
• 23% offer fitness classes.

Libraries are the place for lifelong learning.

• 95% provide online homework assistance.
• 95% offer summer reading programs for children.

Library access equals opportunity.

• 100% of public libraries offer access to the Internet.
• 98% of public libraries offer free Wifi.
• 90% help patrons with basic Internet skills.
• 97% help people complete online government forms.
• 9 out of 10 libraries offer access to e-books.

Bertot, J.C., Real, B., Lee, J., McDermott, A.J., & Jaeger, P.T. (201). 2014 Digital Inclusion Survey: Findings and Results. College Park, MD: Information Policy & Access Center, University of Maryland College Park. Available at http://digitalinclusion.umd.edu/.   http://digitalinclusion.umd.edu/sites/default/files/uploads/2014DigitalInclusionSurveyFinalRelease.pdf   http://www.ala.org/tools/research/digitalinclusion