There’s a common misconception that public libraries in America are dying, with the majority of naysayers basing a library’s successful operation on physical visits and loans of materials — books, journals and maps. It’s an easy mistake to make: In 2019, the average number of physical library visits dropped to fewer than four per year and material loans declined by 25%.

However, a 2023 report by the American Library Association found that Gen Z and millennials are changing the way public libraries serve their communities, especially as libraries expand their digital collections and services. It found Gen Z and millennials make up the largest cohort of library users across the United States.

The study found that 54% of people aged 13-40 visited physical libraries within the past year and 37% said they had used their library’s digital collection.

“We know that millennials, for example, are the most avid in terms of digital borrowing,” Rachel Noorda, the director of the book publishing program at Portland State University and one of authors of the ALA report, told StateScoop. “So they’re engaging with print books, which is actually their favorite format, but also digitally as well.”

You can read more in an article by Sophia Fox-Sowell published in the statescoop.com web site at: https://tinyurl.com/bdhps4ma.