Public Libraries Are Essential to Communities – Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

NEW YORK -- Americans prize public library service in the Internet Age, a new research report released today by the nonpartisan public opinion research organization Public Agenda concludes. As local communities and states contend with tight budget constraints for public services, the public sees libraries as potential solutions to many communities’ most pressing problems, from universal access to computers to the need for better options for keeping teens safe and productive.

“Long Overdue: A Fresh Look at Public Attitudes About Libraries in the 21st Century” reports the results of a national study of the general public as well as interviews with national and local civic leaders.

To read the full press release, visit the Americans for Libraries Council Web site.