More Parents wild about Public Library

Many people love their neighborhood library but a Pew Research Center survey suggests that parents are wild about them. More than 9 out of 10 parents surveyed say that libraries are important for their children, and 8 in 10 say they are very important. The Pew Research Center’s Lee Rainie gives details.  “They especially like that libraries are safe places for their kids to hang out.  One mother told us the nicest thing about the library is I never have to say no to my child when I’m there.” Rainie says that mothers are even more pro-library than fathers are. “They are more likely to take their kids to libraries, more likely to think that libraries are meaningful to their children and more likely to say that libraries have had an impact on their children.” Library patrons are also excited about libraries adopting more technology, says Rainie. “Less affluent parents are particular eager to see libraries embrace new kinds of technologies.  They are the most anxious of all to have electronic stuff brought into the library.” It is not just about new technology, parents want their kids to enjoy books too, concludes Rainie. “81% of parents of minor children say that they want their children to appreciate printed books as well as digital material, so, one of the reasons they are fond of libraries is that they are full of printed books.” Half of parents with kids under age 12 say they read to their children every day. One in four does so several times a week.