Why Americans Like the Public Library, but Aren’t Using It

Reported Analysis
Written By Emma Reed

The public library system is a valuable service and an important aspect of community life offering a myriad of resources to local residents such as programs, meeting spaces, archives and research services, and of course, books. 

91% of Americans report believing that public libraries are a beneficial part of civic life and that their communities would suffer without them (Pew Research Center, 2013). However, public library usage across the nation has been steadily declining year over year. According to 2024 data from the Institute of Museum and Library Services’ annual Public Library Survey, library visits have decreased by nearly half in the past decade.

So, if an overwhelming majority of Americans report viewing the public library system as valuable, why aren’t they using it?

Two thirds of Americans over the age of sixteen hold a library card, allowing unlimited visits and full usage of the system’s resources. However, according to the Institute for Museum and Library Services’ Public Library Survey (PLS), the average American visits the library less than four times per year, a 28% decline from a decade ago (Institute of Museum and Library Services, 2021). 

The most regular visitors to the library, according to studies, are female parents of young children (Pew Research Center, 2013). Rising in the ranks are Gen Z and Millennials whose reported use of the library outranks that of older generations (American Library Association, 2023). But the library and its resources are not tailored to, nor exclusive to, these demographics.

Across the board, an overwhelming 94% of Americans agree that “having a public library improves the quality of life in a community,” (Pew Research Center, 2013). In addition to material rentals, libraries offer a space to gather with community members in public meetings, forums, and classes as well as storytime activities and reading programs for children, computer and internet access, study spaces, and more, building a sense of connection and civic pride. 

When accessibility came into question, it was found that more than nine in ten Americans agreed it “would be easy to visit a public library in person if they wanted to,” (Pew Research Center, 2013). So, why haven’t they?

While most Americans know where their local library is, less than one quarter of those surveyed report feeling they know about “all or most” of the services and programs offered at their local public library (Pew Research Center, 2013). Beyond books, libraries offer digital assets such as ebooks or audiobooks, movies and music, video games, rentable technology and equipment, and more—all at no cost to members. Across the nation, libraries provide items such as carpentry and plumbing tools (Berkeley Public Library); vegetable, flower, or herb seed packets (Salt Lake City Public Library); bikes, bike locks, electric bikes (Athens County Public Libraries); and free tickets to local attractions including museums, aquariums, zoos, and other cultural spots (Denver Public Library) (Bhatia, 2024).

“Many don’t know that libraries help people get a GED, apply for jobs, start a new business, use a 3D printer, and connect with telehealth services. The list goes on and on,” says Cindy Hohl, the 2024-2025 president of the American Library Association (ALA) and director of policy analysis at Kansas City Public Library. “Libraries are the very heart of their communities, and each library tailors its services to its community,” (American Library Association, 2025).

While constantly working to update their inventories and serve their communities, libraries are facing increasing challenges from political constraints, societal shifts, and technological advancements, marring their efforts. 

“We [continue] to deal with book bans and adverse legislation,” writes Leslie Burger, interim executive director of the ALA. “Library workers are also busy understanding the ethical issues of using AI, from baked-in biases to copyright,” (American Library Association, 2025). Deborah Caldwell-Stone, underscores this adding, “The number of demands to censor and restrict library resources [is] at record levels, with 821 attempts to censor library books and materials,” (American Library Association, 2025). The organization reports that in 2024, 2,452 unique titles were targeted for censorship in both public and academic libraries.

Indeed, demands for censorship are making it difficult for libraries to grow their collection—or, at times, maintain their historical collections—putting them in competition with other available sources of information. 

Disruptions in library inventories extend beyond which titles to stock to how many of each title to stock, further challenging the breadth of their inventory. Borrowing books and resources from the library has the benefit of being at no cost to the borrower, however, wait times can be long, extending weeks or months for a new book, if it’s available at all in the readers’ preferred format. This obstacle leads some readers to prefer the expedited convenience of procuring their own personal library of physical or digital books.

One thing libraries can’t compete with are the benefits of a personal library: a curated collection of owned, on-demand books, movies, or other assets with no timeline for returns. This is a convenience that many consumers don’t just prefer, but have come to expect. 

More than half of Americans feel they “do not need public libraries as much as they used to because they can find more information on their own” (Pew Research Center, 2013). This beckons towards a larger rift in American civic life: the deepening trend towards individuality, privacy, and growing preference for at-home consumption.

Americans report believing libraries are valuable to their communities, but aren’t showing up to use them. Among the lowest demographics to visit the library are those who identify as being civically inactive (Horrigan, 2015), suggesting a larger trend in society.

In his acclaimed book, Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community, Robert Putnam, observes the retreat of Americans from community-orientated spaces and unwillingness to engage with one another. “We Americans,” he suggests, “need to reconnect with one another” (Putnam, 2000).

Indeed, libraries face a variety of challenges from communication about available resources, to political constraints and societal shifts and pressures, to competing with the immediacy and autonomy of other available sources of information to consumers. But as public library systems are working against these challenges and more to maintain relevancy to their communities, their decline in visitation and usage rates could perhaps be less due to gaps in inventory or marketing efforts, and more closely linked to the similar decline seen in attendance at the local movie theater or brick-and-mortar store. Perhaps their greatest challenge is simply us: persuading the modern American consumer to come out and engage in a shared civic space. Maybe the reported value in libraries today is inflated by nostalgia, where people aren’t ready to change their beliefs about libraries, even though they’ve already changed their habits.

While operational improvements can, have been, and continue to be made, the public library system is at its core a commodity that is only as valuable as those it serves decide it to be. Once the primary source of information in a community or civilization, the library faces new challenges with every change of the social tides. Keeping them relevant and useful is a responsibility in the hands of its investors and sole service recipients: we community members. 

Graduate journalism coursework, Harvard University / 2025

Emma Reed

Journalism and Communications in AEC

https://heyimemmareed.com
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