More Older Adults using Public Library

While younger Americans may make extensive use of the internet, a new Pew Research Center report finds they’re more likely than older people to use a library. Kathryn Zickuhr is a research analyst at the Pew Research Center’s internet and American life project.  She served as lead author of the report.  “When we look at their reading habits, younger Americans are actually more likely to have read a book in print in the past year.” Zickuhr tells what surprised her in the report. “One of the most surprising things about the research for people has been that we found that younger Americans, particularly those under age 30, are just as likely to use libraries as older adults.” Younger Americans still use public libraries on a regular basis, adds Zickuhr. “We still found that younger Americans are pretty active library users in going there and using the library as a physical space and using the physical resources.” The Pew Research Center report on the use of public libraries found that 16 and 17 year olds are more likely than any other age group to have read a book in print in the past year.