State of America’s Libraries Report 2013

But libraries have experienced changes that reach well beyond economics and the digital revolution to embrace community relationships, user expectations, library services, physical space, library leadership and the library workforce.

“You are on the front lines of a battle that that will shape the future of our country,” Caroline Kennedy told librarians at the ALA’s 2013 Midwinter Meeting in Seattle. “Whether it is [for] providing a social environment for seniors, a safe space for kids after school, or a maker-space to unleash the talent in the community, libraries are becoming more important than ever.”

Other key trends detailed in the 2013 State of America’s Libraries Report:

Changes in technology and social networking continue at a dizzying pace, and libraries maintain their role as technology leaders — not in being first adopters, but in being early users of effective technologies.
Academic librarians are helping students learn how to analyze information and apply it to new contexts, reflect on what they know, identify what they still need to learn and sort through contradictory arguments.
Despite the anemic economy, library construction continued apace in 2012, concrete evidence that libraries still bring solid economic dividends to the communities they serve. The trend toward renovation, as opposed to new construction, was particularly striking.

The full text of the 2013 State of America’s Libraries Report is available at http://tinyurl.com/salr2013. The Zmags version of the report is available at American Libraries Magazine.