The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation seems to be getting out of the world of libraries, which is a shame. One result of their investments has been the fascinating research conducted by the Pew Research Center.
A succinct overview of the last three years of their examination of “Americans' relationships to public libraries in the digital age” can be found here.
May I suggest that this slideshow—suitable for projection—would make a terrific presentation to the library board, staff, or community group? Such reports are NOT intended so that librarians can have something to talk about among themselves. Pew’s consistent finding is that libraries matter to people's lives, that we have a surprisingly deep and vital connection to our communities. But it is the public who needs to hear that; it's a social message that grows through repetition, and counters other messages.
While it’s clear that, for instance, there is indeed a growing interest in ebooks, it’s not the case that someone flipped a switch and print books no longer matter. Many “traditional” services of libraries, including librarians themselves, are still highly valued.
It’s too bad that we’re losing this significant source of funding in the future. The attention of a well-respected, non-library foundation taught us some things we simply didn’t have the evidence for before. Now that we do, and while it’s still new, let’s make sure we share it as quickly, and broadly, as possible.
JAMES LARUE writes, speaks, and consults on the future of libraries. He can be reached at jlarue@jlarue.com.