People 40 and younger are using public libraries, often at higher rates compared with older generations even when they don’t define themselves as readers, according to Gen Z and Millennials: How They Use Public Libraries and Identify Through Media Use, a survey and report by Kathi Inman Berens, interim director, Book Publishing, and associate professor, Publishing and Digital Humanities; and Rachel Noorda, director of publishing and assistant professor of English, both at Portland State University. The report was published this week by the American Library Association. Overall, Gen Z and millennials (which this report defines as people aged 13–40) continued to express a preference for print over digital versions of books, with survey respondents saying that they read and bought on average twice as many print books per month as any other category.

Fifty-four percent of people 40 and under visited a library branch within a 12-month period, even though 43 percent of this demographic don’t identify as readers. Those who don’t identify as readers enjoy their library as “a safe, free place to hang out,” as well as a place that can provide important resources and advice during major life changes such as a career transition or parenthood, or offer help with new language acquisition or learning to read. Wi-Fi enabled workspaces and resources such as maker spaces and media production equipment were also appreciated, according to the report.

“Libraries also provide programming relevant to teens (Gen Z) and parents (older Gen Z and millennials), such as coding clubs, story times, job application help, and more. This helps to explain why, across age demographics, there was a 23–percentage point increase in Americans who attended library programs from 2014 to 2019,” the report states. In the in-person, qualitative research undertaken as one part of this survey, youth respondents also said that they come to the library just to do things like craft, game, relax, and socialize. “In these spaces, books were always an option but were not the focus of the experience,” the report explains.

One key point of concern may be the use of digital resources by those 40 and younger. Only 37 percent of Gen Z and millennials reported borrowing from library digital collections, and notably, about 75 percent of this demographic said that a wait time of one week or less to read an ebook or other digital resource was “long” (21 percent said “any wait” was long, 16 percent said “more than a day,” and 37 percent said “more than a week”).

The report outlines three challenges libraries and publishers face with Gen Z and millennials:

• Amazon's audiobook and ebook paid subscription services—as well as the convenience of direct-to-door delivery of print books—frame Gen Z and millennial expectations. Authors of the study note that the Digital Public Library of America's Palace Marketplace now enables libraries to license many ebooks and audiobooks that had previously been Amazon exclusives. And they suggest that home delivery of print books “should remain in the conversation for libraries to increase print circulation and reach print hungry Gen Zers.”
• Almost one third (32 percent) of Gen Z and millennials have downloaded or read ebooks for free via unlicensed sources. Citing the Panorama Project’s Immersive Media & Books 2020 consumer survey, the authors note that “pirates” tend to be “super-consumers, active across all media both as consumers and producers,” and that publishers and libraries have a shared interest in encouraging them to use their library to access digital content legitimately.
• The report indicates that Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) patrons use digital collections more than the general population, and therefore lack of equitable access to digital collections harms BIPOC users more. Citing an analysis of public library mission statements, offering equitable access is considered a primary component of modern public library identity.

The authors also suggested using external links on digital borrowing apps, such as OverDrive’s Libby app, to direct Gen Z and millennial users to their library’s website to keep “branch libraries squarely in [their] consideration set,” and to communicate the unique qualities of libraries. Some of these include lending a wide range of materials, offering engaging library programs, presenting the library as a safe space to just “chill out” and socialize, following eco-friendly principles, and protecting patron privacy.

The quantitative data comes from a March 2022 survey of 2,075 Gen Z and millennials with quotas implemented for race, gender, and region to ensure the survey sample accurately reflected the demographics of this age group in the U.S. population. Qualitative data was collected from ethnographic research conducted at the Garfield and South Euclid branches of the Cuyahoga County Public Library, OH. Certification from Portland State’s Institutional Review Board enabled researchers to include minors in the qualitative portion of the study. The full 20-page report can be downloaded as a PDF with this link.