Wisconsinites are visiting their local library about as often as they did two decades ago, but the digital revolution has changed how they use libraries, with Wi-Fi and electronic content use and program attendance on the rise, according to a new report from the Wisconsin Policy Forum.
Wisconsin’s rural libraries have seen significant increases in visits and circulation relative to their counterparts in cities, suburbs or towns, the report finds. “Rural libraries had 40% more visitors in 2018 than 2000, while visits to suburban libraries grew just 0.5% and visits to libraries in cities and towns dropped,” the report finds.
Findings from the widely respected Marquette Law School Poll also show differences by race and income on why Wisconsinites use local libraries. Nonwhite, low-income and elderly respondents to the poll were more likely to say they visited the library to get assistance from a librarian, while nonwhite Wisconsinites also were more likely to say they visited libraries to participate in events.
These findings are based on analysis of data from the state Department of Public Instruction regarding services and finances of the nearly 400 municipal, county or tribal libraries in Wisconsin. Each of these belongs to one of 16 public library systems in the state, funded primarily by municipalities and counties.
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Two key measures of library usage, total visits and circulation (books or other materials that are checked out) rose from 2000 to 2009, the height of the Great Recession. From there they declined, reaching a level in 2018 near where they had been 18 years ago.
But even as total visits dipped in the last decade, other measures show sharp increases in Wi-Fi use, e-content circulation, and program attendance. Among 106 libraries that tracked Wi-Fi usage from 2013 to 2017, it increased 103%.
From 2015 to 2018 alone, use of e-content such as electronic copies of print books or audio books rose from 2.95 million to 4.47 million, an increase of 51%.
Source: “By the Book: How Wisconsin’s libraries are adapting in 2020 and beyond” (via WI Policy Forum)
Attendance at programs also more than doubled from 2000 to 2018. The increase was about 67% at city libraries and more than 120% at suburban, town, and rural libraries. The Madison Public Libraries saw program attendance more than quadruple during that period. It offers programs serving all age groups including topics like “Preschool Storytime” and “One-on-One Computer Assistance
Gary Price (gprice@gmail.com) is a librarian, writer, consultant, and frequent conference speaker based in the Washington D.C. metro area.
He earned his MLIS degree from Wayne State University in Detroit.
Price has won several awards including the SLA Innovations in Technology Award and Alumnus of the Year from the Wayne St. University Library and Information Science Program. From 2006-2009 he was Director of Online Information Services at Ask.com.
