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Gen Y Hits the Library the Most -- But Not For Books

Posted by timothy on from the don't-tell-the-other-perverts dept.

Lucas123 writes "More than half of all Americans visited a library this past year and, of those, most were from Generation Y, the tech-loving young adults aged 18-30 years, according to a recent survey. The reason most cited for visiting their local public archive? Not books. Most were seeking gaming software programs, characters in the Second Life virtual world and online help with homework."
Another way to think about the results: about 47 percent of Americans didn't visit a library even once last year.

16 of 215 comments (clear)

  1. And a hot date who reads... by Strange+Ranger · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Finding an attractive girl with a brain in her head was always a top reason for visiting the library.

    --

    Operator, give me the number for 911!
    1. Re:And a hot date who reads... by pembo13 · · Score: 5, Funny

      How did that work out for you Mr. posting on Slashdot at odd times of day.

      --
      "Thanks for all the money you paid to us. We've used it to buy off ISO among other things" -Microsoft
    2. Re:And a hot date who reads... by NoPantsJim · · Score: 5, Funny

      Timezones don't change the fact that he should be in bed with a pounding headache from New Years next to a girl who reads.

      (I had to work this year, I've got an excuse)

      --
      Name...That...Autocomplete!
  2. That would be me by enjo13 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I didn't visit the library one single time in 2007.. and the same goes for 2006. Hell I haven't stepped foot in a library since college.

    I guess I'm a knuckle dragging idiot. Or, I use a much easier resource (the Internet) for my research. I buy books instead of borrowing them. So ya, I'm not terribly surprised that there are a bunch of other Americans just like me.

    --
    Turn s60 photos into awesome videos with mScrapbook for all S60 3rd edition phones!
    1. Re:That would be me by LordHuggington · · Score: 3, Insightful

      I'm sure there will be plenty more people looking to other sources for info besides the library in the future. This survey even shows that those who did go to the library weren't doing so for traditional purposes. Uni. libraries are a far better source for reference material, and much of the casual material average joes used to go to the library for is becoming available online. Perhaps this survey shows that public libraries have to adjust how they operate in order to stay relevant. :\

    2. Re:That would be me by Goobergunch · · Score: 3, Informative

      Even as a college student, I frequently find that the primary value in my college library is through its online databases. For one of my major term papers, I didn't visit the library at all, simply using my in-dorm access to journals provided through my library as sources. Although I did visit the library for the other term paper, I only used it to collect books that I had identified through Google and then did the rest of my research via Google Scholar and JSTOR. In both cases, I had full-text access to articles through my dorm's internet connection.

    3. Re:That would be me by jovin6 · · Score: 4, Interesting

      I buy books instead of borrowing them. I never understood the rationale behind buying books. I read a good amount, mostly science fiction, but a good deal of classic literature as well. Even so, I rarely reread books, and buying them seems like a tremendous waste of money and paper. For those of you who buy books regularly, do you really read them 3+ times? Or is there some other reason you do it instead of going to the library?
    4. Re:That would be me by koxkoxkox · · Score: 3, Insightful

      It is nice to have the books in my room, to be able to see them, read a little bit sometimes, look for a quote you know are here, etc. Or reread them completely after some years (yes, I read some books 3+ times). Or take years to finish a book.

      Some people might also like to be able to mark them or write on them, but I would never do that.

      I also love to give or lend books I have liked, and I thinks it is better to do so with books that are mine ;)

    5. Re:That would be me by Mr+Z · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Easy: I buy reference books, not fiction. :-) I don't even read the whole thing once, but I do read many portions repeatedly, and it tends to be demand-driven random access. That said, I did read "Effective C++" pretty much linearly cover-to-cover when I got it, as well as "The Algorithm Design Manual." I'll still go back and reference bits randomly.

      Aside from that, there's my, erm, "throne of learning" book set, which currently consists of "Areas of My Expertise" (which I did read cover to cover, and will probably re-read bits of for a muse), and "A New Kind of Science", which I'm about 1/3rd of the way through. ANKOS is big enough that I can't possibly read it as a borrowed book. And, it has pretty pictures... I'm sure I'll go back and borrow some of the automata to repurpose them. And as for having books in the john... I know I'm not alone.

      So, I guess there's two rationales: Reference books get reused, and many people read books while in the bathroom. As for the former, it's nice to keep the book. As for the latter... wouldn't you like one that hasn't been in the bathroom yet?

      --Joe
      --
      Program Intellivision!
  3. I don't visit libraries either...I have a library by A+beautiful+mind · · Score: 5, Insightful

    ...and I'm currently connected to it.

    --
    It takes a man to suffer ignorance and smile
    Be yourself no matter what they say
  4. Do I offset this? by Smordnys+s'regrepsA · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I visited the Library at least once a week, ONLY for books. I browse every new book in the new section, hit up the SciFi section, see if there is a new romance book that suits my needs. I'll be there for about an hour, and sometimes I'll head over to Bookmans for a used book afterwards if I can't find what I want. If I'm willing to wait, I use the library's electronic catalog to order the book, and pick it up when I stop by next week.


    I can't get a single friend to visit the library, but when I see a book I *know* they will love, I check it out for them, and make them borrow it. I routinely have to borrow ~4 books at a time, just so I have one to read.

    So, how about average number of books checked out, because I can't be the only person who brings home entertainment for the masses.

    --
    Just -1, Troll talking to another.
  5. Why does it matter? by Secrity · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I am baby boomer and have haven't been to a library for over 10 years. I used to just about live in the library, but they have become irrelevant to me. The technical section is full of out of date arcane crap, yet they spend huge sums on Oprah books and Brittany Spears CDs. A few years ago I tried to donate a box full of recent technical books to the local library; THEY REFUSED TO TAKE THEM. It used to be that even if the library didn't want the books for the shelves they took them for their book sales. The up side to that is that the local used book store gave me a good price (store credit) for the books, because they were the type of books that they can sell.

    Anymore, I either get the information from the internet or I buy the books.

    1. Re:Why does it matter? by thegrassyknowl · · Score: 3, Interesting

      I agree. Our local library has a lot of "photochop for dummies", "service your car for dummies", "the idiots guide to google" (you need instructions to use Google?) type books now.

      It was once a treasure trove of useful technical manuals in fields like engineering, computer science, medicine and the like. The fiction section was even pretty good with a fairly wide range. Now it seems that it's mostly popular romance trite and not much more.

      I still go there for the kids books (yes, a Slashdork spawned a child process), which they keep fairly current.

      That said, I must concede I have a couple of electronics magazines that they have only recently resubscribed to.

      --
      I drink to make other people interesting!
  6. "Infotainment Center" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

    The original purpose of a library was to allow a community to invest a small amount of money in books and then let everyone in the community benefit from all of the books.

    I think it would be appropriate for libraries to change their names to be called "Infotainment Centers", and for books to largely be replaced by computers, software, and DVD collections. Computer gaming should be perfectly acceptable -- because it is no different than people going to a traditional library and reading fantasy books or other forms of fiction. There are commercial "computer gaming rooms" and "Internet cafes" appearing in shopping plazas -- but, just as libraries have long coexisted with massive bookstore chains (Barnes & Noble, Borders, etc), the "Infotainment Center" can coexist with commercial "Internet cafes" and gaming rooms.

    There are certainly many valuable books from decades past, and it will take a long time for all of that information to be available online -- and so I hope the traditional book-archiving aspect of libraries continues for a while -- but I think a plain computer lab, for GAMING, WATCHING DVDs, for AMUSEMENT, in addition to research and learning, should be the goal of libraries. The library will serve the modern public better -- and I think recreation is a valid way to serve the public -- and the idealists who hope to hook people on "more productive" or "more educational" things like reading, reading classic literature, and learning, might benefit from having the target audience already in the facility. (I'm guessing that Borders and Barnes and Noble booksellers have discovered that letting potential customers read books at their leisure, while drinking coffee, or even studying for exams with fellow students, is all OK because having people in the store will ultimately lead to more sales of books and coffee. In the same way, getting people in to the library by having X-Box, the latest video games, open WiFi, porn DVDs, whatever, might provide opportunities to encourage "more productive" or "more educational" activities.)

  7. Re:Generation Y? by twms2h · · Score: 5, Funny

    When I was 17/18, we were Generation X - now I'm 28, we're Generation Y? How does that work?
    You changed your gender?
  8. !Library by ShakaUVM · · Score: 3, Funny

    Why do we need libraries any more?

    All the world's information is on wikipedia! One or two pages can encapsulate the information on every subject!

    Besides, how else would we learn about how the Black Panthers guard Vibranium?