Survey shows support for public libraries

Two out of three adults visited a public library last year, and more than nine out of 10 believe libraries will remain necessary in the future despite the rise of the Internet, according to a new study by the American Library Association.

“Because libraries offer free access to all with help from professional librarians, they bring opportunity to all and are a vital part of a civil society,” ALA President Michael Gorman said in a statement.

The percentage of adults visiting libraries was also about two-thirds in the previous ALA survey, in 2002.

The new study, conducted by telephone in January with just over 1,000 adult Americans, also showed high satisfaction with libraries – with 7 out of 10 respondents saying they were “very” or “extremely” happy – and strong support for increased library funding, with 8 out of 10 saying more money should be spent.

The survey was conducted by KRC Research & Consulting, a communications research firm based in the United States and London. The sampling error margin is plus or minus 3 percentage points.

On ‘The March’

E.L. Doctorow’s “The March,” a finalist for the National Book Award and National Book Critics Circle prize, has won this year’s PEN/Faulkner award for fiction.

Doctorow, who also won the 1990 PEN/Faulkner for “Billy Bathgate,” will receive $15,000.

Four runners-up will each receive $5,000: Karen Fisher for “A Sudden Country”; William Henry Lewis for “I Got Somebody in Staunton”; James Salter for “Last Night”; and Bruce Wagner for “The Chrysanthemum Palace.”

The PEN/Faulkner Foundation, based in Washington, D.C., is “committed to building audiences for exceptional literature and bringing writers together with their readers.”