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 Why Libraries? The ThinkeringSpace Opportunity
There are more than 117,000 libraries in the United States today, from which about 9,200 are public. More than collections of books, today libraries serve as egalitarian portals of knowledge with a growing information technology infrastructure. They provide a diverse citizenry free access to information and expert guidance in navigating through it. Although they are often underused, they serve a more technologically-minded user population and a new generation of children.

Libraries are in a constant state of change. As the term Web 2.0 has become more widely accepted, Library 2.0 is being defined by libraries, leading to the modernization and continuous updating and reevaluation of their offerings. Libraries have had to adapt to new technologies in order to meet the demands of their ever-growing patron populations.

Struggling for lifelong relevance, they continue to offer innovative programming and maintain a commitment to becoming more service-oriented. As an open access resource for information, media, artifacts and learning materials in and for the community, libraries have become centers for local culture.

The following points summarize facts, issues, observations and insights from research conducted by IIT Institute of Design graduate students in 10 libraries within the Chicago metropolitan area, showing forces that are affecting the future of libraries.

Existing Brick and Mortar Channel
Providing a degree of consistency across every town in the country, the library is a dependable source for information search and advisory in every community, accessible to everyone from local patrons to business people.

As a networked system, public libraries have an existing infrastructure with online subscriptions and reciprocal borrowing between branches. With libraries throughout the country, this distribution system offers an important foundation for access to knowledge everywhere.

Embedded in the Community
Owned by the public and supported primarily by local taxes, public libraries have presence in almost every community. As welcoming and safe physical environments, these institutions respond to local needs.

People depend on their library to maintain collections of books and media, and they rely on the expert staff to support research and teach their children how to find valid and relevant resources. Partnering with schools, businesses, governmental agencies and private citizen groups, the public library is a fulcrum for information access.

Aspiring to Provide Democratic Access to Information
The public library strives to be an information center for the community through democratic access to information. Offerings of personal development vary per community, but are also a part of the library’s goals. Expert library staff are eager to provide patrons with advice on how to research and what to read ultimately promoting the development of self-directed learning and empowered, literate citizens.

Representing a Trustworthy Gate to Knowledge
The public library is well established as one of the pillars of the modern community. According to its mission, a library promotes information literacy, education and recreation for personal growth - the dependable source for information with a welcoming local personality. Citizens in a community come to embrace a common understanding of what the library offers, how it works, and where to go for help to expand their understanding of its offerings.

Delivering Collections, Utilities, Services and Programs
Historically focused on books, the library's offerings are changing. Collections are being honed to support swells of interest in popular titles and niche categories along with other media, including video, audio and games. Utilities, such as Internet access and meeting room reservations, are being used as valuable resources. Services in the library are expanding to include electronic resource guidance and inter-library lending. Programs, such as book discussion groups, lectures and performances, are supporting an ever more diverse constituency and evolving to meet the patrons’ demands. The mnemonic CUSP - collections, utilities, services and programs - encupsulates the shift to a broader range of offerings.

Access to the World Wide Web is becoming a primary focal point of the library. As transactions and communications increasingly happen online, the public library is expected to provide equal access for all citizens. Largely due to the profound influence of the Internet, national conventional book circulation is dropping. According to Galbi (2007), the average number of loans per patron declined 50% from 1978 to 2004.

The public library's stategic value propositions are being redefined, extending its offerings beyond collections to include creative use of utilities while designing effective services and programs to meet contemporary needs. It is anticipated that the allocation of physical space to collections will decrease as libraries embrace new technologies and balance their resources.

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Harold Washington Library, Chicago

Key Facts and Statistics

About 117,467 libraries of all kinds in the United States today.

More public libraries (16,220, including branches) than McDonald's restaurants (13,000) in the U.S.

Libraries are open for an average of 59 hours per week.

Public libraries are the number one point of online access for people without Internet connections at home, school or work. Public access to the Internet is provided by 95% of public libraries.

Reference librarians in the nation's public and academic libraries answer more than 7 million questions weekly. Standing single file, the line of questioners would stretch from Boston to San Francisco.

Americans go to school, public and academic libraries more than twice as often as they go to the movies.

Americans check out an average of more than six books a year. But they spend $25.25 a year for the public library - less than the average cost of one hardcover book.

Federal spending on libraries annually is 54 cents per person.

Public library funding sources: 77% Local, 13% State, 9% Federal, 1% Other.

In 2004 there were 626 public libraries in the state of Illinois.

Since 1989, the city of Chicago has replaced or built 52 libraries.

In Chicago, there are 79 branch libraries.

In 2006, the average number of children participating in a reading program in Chicago Public libraries totaled 43,360.

Sources:
American Library Association, McDonalds.com, American Library Directory 2006-07 and Galbi, D. (2007) Book Circulation Per US Public Library User Since 1856. Last retrieved August 27, 2007 from: http://www.galbithink.org/libraries/circulation.htm