Libraries and Library Use

Libraries and Library Use

The growth of public libraries has been a vitally important aspect of the development of the information economy. At least in the U.S., public libraries have achieved near universal service and mediate between wide-area communication and local interests. Public libraries have long been concerned with social networking, content management systems, and user behavior in borrowing/sharing from a collection of works. With the rise of digital works and the Internet, these issues are now of broad interest in the communications industry.

This page links to work I’ve done on libraries. Here are all purple motes posts on libraries. Comments and suggestions welcomed. I am grateful to the persons who have helped me with data and analysis. I would be happy to learn about other work on libraries that might offer insights for current communications industry analysis.

I. Circulating non-book items from libraries

Non-book Items in U.S. Public Libraries

Library users like audiovisuals

Audiovisual Materials in U.S Public Libraries

Libraries have long lent more than books

Item Formats in U.S. Public Libraries, 1955

Print down slightly, video up sharply

Public libraries outperformed video rental businesses

II. Institutional forms of libraries

Organizational diversity in information infrastructure

III. Long-run evidence on user behavior

Book Circulation Per U.S. Public Library User Since 1856 (pdf version)