Parents say libraries are very important places for their children because reading is a key part of parent-child interactions and libraries provide extra resources not available in their homes
Parents think libraries are important for themselves and for their community and they visit their local public library more than other adults. How important libraries are to individuals and their communities In our survey, we asked people about their general library patronage — if they had experiences with libraries in childhood, how often they visit […]
In addition to the statistics included in our report, we also asked parents and librarians from around the country about their thoughts on various library services for parents and children. These quotes are from in-person and online focus groups of library patrons and staff, as well as an online questionnaire of library staff members.
What is important for libraries to offer We asked survey respondents about a variety of services that public libraries often provide to the public, and asked them how important, if at all, they think it is for public libraries to provide each to the community. All but one of the services are considered to be […]
Parents value libraries for their children The previous section highlights the importance parents place on public libraries for themselves and for their communities and the fact that parents are more likely than other adults to view libraries as important. Given those findings, it is not surprising that parents of minor children view public libraries as […]
Using both focus groups and a non-scientific sample of people who volunteered to participate in Pew Internet surveys, we asked library staff members from around the country about their thoughts on many of the library services discussed in this report. This section includes some of their comments on library services for parents and children, including […]
