report | May 16, 2013

Children, libraries, and reading

Happy Children's Book Week. Here's a a closer look at our data on children and reading from our recent report on parents, children, libraries, and reading.

report | May 1, 2013

Parents, Children, Libraries, and Reading: Select quotes from parents and library staff

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.

report | Mar 18, 2013

“What should I read next?”

It’s a question that librarians, booksellers, and others have heard often, perhaps even more so at a time when the output and availability of the written word has never been higher. And it’s a question that new book-recommendation sites such as Bookish and BookScout are trying to answer, joining a plethora of communities and services already trying to navigate the tricky task of helping you decide which book to pick up next.

report | Feb 6, 2013

Should libraries shush?

If there’s one thing our research shows, it’s that there’s no one thing people want their libraries to be. They want their libraries to be lots of things, a place where they can study and meet with friends and attend meetings — and more. Should libraries be quiet or bustling — or both?

report | Jan 29, 2013

Innovative library services “in the wild”

Our new report takes a close look not only at how Americans are using public libraries, but also what sort of services and programming they think libraries should offer — and what they say they would use in the future. For this last point, we asked about a range of potential offerings. Here are illustrations of some of these more innovative services, to see what they look like on the ground — as well as some “fun and funky” services that we’ve seen pop up at libraries across the county.

report | Jan 25, 2013

Other library links and news around the web

While we hope you’ve had a chance to read our new report on library services that just came out this week, there are some other great links out there that you should be sure to check out.

report | Sep 28, 2012

The smell of books

What’s in a smell? A book in any format may read the same, but it seems there’s something about the smell of print that e-books just can’t capture—for now.

report | Jul 9, 2012

Notes from ALA 2012

Director Lee Rainie shared findings from our new report on e-book lending at libraries at the 2012 ALA Annual Conference on Sunday, June 24. He also discussed general reading trends, the rise of e-books, and library patrons’ experiences with e-book borrowing. Research Specialist Kathryn Zickuhr also discussed our research at a session of the ALA’s Spectrum Leadership Institute on Monday, June 25.

report | Jul 6, 2012

Libraries, patrons, and e-books: A guide to our new report

As you may know, we recently published a big report about e-book lending at libraries. We’ll have some posts exploring different aspects of the report in the coming weeks, but you can also read the entire report online (or download the PDF, if you prefer). And if you want to jump to a specific section, here’s a brief outline of the findings.

report | Apr 20, 2012

E-books aren’t just for e-readers: A deep dive into the data

While there is a tendency to associate e-books with dedicated e-reading devices, we found that among people who read e-books, just as many read their e-books on a desktop or laptop computer as on an e-book reader like a Kindle or Nook—and more people read e-books on their cell phones than on tablet computers.

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