@ your library (R) ......by Paige Turner, March 3, 2005 Library Usage Up! Recent national studies commissioned by the American Library Association (ALA) show that Americans are using libraries more than ever. Of course this is no surprise to those of us in Mammoth. We know how busy and crowded our own library is. Just ask any of the over 76,000 people who visited our library last year! KRC Research & Consulting, one of the firms commissioned by the ALA, conducted the "@ your library (R): Attitudes Toward Public Libraries" study, which polled 1,000 adult Americans in a national random-sample telephone survey. They found that, overwhelmingly, adults are satisfied with their public libraries (84% compared to 7% who were not satisfied). While current public library spending per capita is $25, more than half of those polled believe $26 to $100 per capita should be spent to support libraries. The survey also found: . Adults aged 25-34 visit the library most often, about 24 times per year. . More than 2/3 of adults with children under 18 say they visit libraries with their children. . 62% of adult Americans say they have a library card. Adults with children are most likely to have a library card (73%). . The library is most often used for educational purposes (46%), followed by entertainment (41%). In addition to asking Americans about their library habits, the survey also sought to gauge public perceptions of libraries. The ALA found that: . 91% of the total respondents believed libraries will exist in the future, despite all of the information available on the Internet. . 91% believe libraries are changing and dynamic places with a variety of activities for the whole family. . 90% believe libraries are places of opportunity for education, self-help and offer free access to all. . 88% agreed libraries are unique because you have access to nearly everything on the Web or in print, as well as personal service and assistance in finding it. . 83% believe free people need free libraries; and libraries and librarians play an essential role in our democracy and are needed now more than ever. . 81% agreed that librarians are techno-savvy and on the forefront of the Information Age. In addition, other ALA studies confirmed what librarians have long believed and seen from experience - that in times of economic difficulties people turn to their libraries. Diane Hurlburt, our County Librarian, passed along the following wonderful quotation: "Libraries will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no libraries." TRIVIA QUESTION OF THE WEEK: Where was the world's first public library opened? ANSWER TO LAST WEEK'S QUESTION: What is the oldest library in the world that's still operating? Bibliothoque de Paris.