Gen Z and millennials are using public libraries, both in person and digitally, at higher rates compared to older generations, according to a new report released today by the American Library Association. Gen Z and Millennials: How They Use Public Libraries and Identify Through Media Use draws on a nationally representative survey to reveal the attitudes and behaviors young Americans have regarding library use and media consumption.
Written by Kathi Inman Berens, Ph.D., and Rachel Noorda, Ph.D., both of Portland State University, the report and survey data show that 54% of Gen Z and millennials visited a physical library within the previous 12 months. Of the 2,075 Gen Z and millennials surveyed in 2022, more than half who self-reported visiting a physical library said they also borrow from a library's digital collection. The data also revealed younger Americans' distinct preference for physical versions of books: survey respondents read and bought on average twice as many print books per month as any other category.
"Great news: Younger generations of people are reading books, buying books, and visiting libraries," said Noorda. "Not only are Gen Z and millennials engaging with books, but they are also engaging with other forms of media. They are gamers, readers, writers, and fans who are comfortable with malleability between media categories and forms."
In addition, more than half of the 43% of Gen Z and millennials who don't self-identify as readers have been to their local library during the past 12 months. ALA president Emily Drabinski said, "These digitally-immersed generations make clear that libraries are about more than books. Programming relevant to teens and their parents--coding clubs, job application help, gaming--draws even non-readers to the library, as does the physical space to connect and collaborate."
Additional key findings in the ALA survey:
- Younger library users view the library as a place to "sample" materials, supplementing and informing their purchases and paid subscriptions of books, information, and media.
- Members of the survey cohorts who also identify as Black, Indigenous, or people of color are more affected by wait times for digital materials; more Black and Latinx Gen Z and millennials report using digital collections than the general survey population.
- 75% of Gen Z and millennial physical library patrons believe a library wait of one week or less is "long."