A Few Findings from a 2023 Report on Gen X and Millenial Library Usage
How are Gen Z and Millenials using Libraries?
52% of Gen Z and millennial physical library patrons said they borrowed from library digital collections.
Black (58%) and Latinx (57%) physical library patrons use digital collections more than the general survey population (52%)
This research backs up the Nodes project I am working on and aims to bring digital libraries into neighborhoods beyond physical library walls. Many people using Nodes will be the children and youth of the surrounding neighborhood. It’s meeting them where they already are — online.
Don’t assume people know libraries are free.
There may be confusion about why one would visit a library, particularly for people whose only prior experience of libraries is shaped by school libraries which might have strict rules around noise and use. Don’t assume all people know that public libraries loan a wide range of materials, including ebooks and audiobooks.
Similarly, my team found that newer neighbors coming from outside the United States didn’t know the library was free. It’s essential to communicate explicitly what’s offered — for free — by a library. It’s also important to remind people that free means free — public libraries don’t extract data in exchange for usage.
Related link: My local library recently posted this social media post explaining their free services.