An estimated 53% of Americans read one or more books for pleasure in 2017, according to the American Society for Arts and Sciences. Since then, reading rates have steadily declined, raising the question of what will happen to the public libraries in our cities. Will they withstand this readership drought, or will they slowly fade into a memory?
Overwhelmingly, statistics show the public libraries that serve our communities are here to stay despite the lack of readership. A study conducted by StudyFinds found that 174 million citizens across the country have memberships at their local libraries, and even more attend the library without a membership. However, according to the Pew Research Center, 76% of library attendees say they use their local library as a quiet space to get work done in rather than as a resource to discover books.
This year, many members from the Archer senior class began to utilize their local libraries, but not to check out books. Instead, the seniors are using this space as a productive work zone—similar to national trends.
The first semester of senior year is notoriously a busy time: college applications fill the desktops of seniors and plague their to-do lists until the final regular decision deadlines in January. Due to their hefty agendas, seniors are often caught up in “to-do’s” and need to allocate times and places complete their tasks. Because of this, seniors are convening in libraries to ensure a space of productivity.
Senior Goldie Bronson began studying at her local public library in September when the college process began “amping up,” and she said she wanted a more productive space to complete her work. Bronson said she utilizes the library’s large work rooms and communal tables rather than using it as a resource to read or check out books.
“When I started working at the library, I found that I do prefer working there over studying at home,” Bronson said. “I am so much more focused there, because you can’t talk — and I’m a very chatty person — so being forced to be quiet really locks me in. Even though I’m not checking out books, I really appreciate the library as a space for me to do work.”
Bronson said she tends to go to the library with her friends because they support each other during their work time, despite the fact that they are working on different tasks. She said she appreciates the library for providing her with an environment where she can remain extremely focused while still being able to ask her friends questions.
“It’s also nice to be in an environment where everyone else is doing the same thing as you, and the best part, for me, is when I bring my friends, and we all sit and study for a few hours,” Bronson said. “Even though we’re not talking, we’re all just working and are able to get a lot of stuff done in this supportive space.”
Similar to Bronson, senior Annie Altemus began studying at her local public library at the beginning of the college application process. She said with the amount of school work she was assigned on top of college applications, it was valuable for her to have this space.
“I started going to public libraries to do work only this year,” Altemus said. “I don’t think I took advantage of the productive work space and the opportunity to work there enough last year, but this year, once we started having more work, I started going.”
Although Altemus said she finds the library to be a productive work environment, she often opts to work at cafes and coffee shops instead. She attributes this to the fact that she enjoys having background noise while completing work, and that she doesn’t use the library as a way to find books.
“I prefer working at coffee shops because I enjoy when things are going on around me, and I feel like sometimes I need that for me to be productive, because I’ve discovered that I need to have people talking around me,” Altemus said. “There’s a lot of coffee shops where there’s soft music playing and couches, and you’re able to get a drink, and it’s overall just really nice to see other people being productive around me as well.”
Sophia Calne (’25) said she began studying at the library during her junior year of high school, and she has continued doing so during her senior year. Calne said she solely uses the library as a study space rather than an outlet to discover books. However, Calne said she utilizes other resources at the library, such as the printer, to aid her in her studies.
“The first time I went to the library was before finals, first semester in my junior year. A friend of mine who doesn’t go to Archer texted me that she was going to be at her local library, so we studied together throughout the rest of the semester and through the year,” Calne said. “This year, I’ve really been loving going on the weekends, because I think being in an environment surrounded by so many people who are also working forces me to work, and it feels much more like I have to be productive in the library.”
Although the library is her most productive space, Calne believes it is important to switch up her study space often.
“For me, it’s most beneficial to switch up my environment for a change of scenery,” Calne said. “So I try to mix studying at home with studying at the library and also in coffee shops and other spaces like that.”