%0 Journal Article
%T The relationships between the expenditures and resources of public libraries and childrenĄ¯s and young adultsĄ¯ use: An exploratory analysis of Institute of Museum and Library Services public library statistics data
%A Maria Cahill
%A Soohyung Joo
%J Journal of Librarianship and Information Science
%@ 1741-6477
%D 2019
%R 10.1177/0961000617709057
%X ChildrenĄ¯s librarians have long recognized the value of libraries for the development of children and adolescents and have championed for appropriate funding to support programs and services targeted to children, adolescents, and families. Using data from the Institute of Museum and Library Services National Public Library Survey, this study examined the relationships between the expenditures and resources of public libraries and childrenĄ¯s and young adultsĄ¯ use. Three groups of variables were chosen from the dataset to represent expenditures, resources, and childrenĄ¯s and young adultsĄ¯ library use respectively. Correlation analysis results reveal that most of the expenditures and resources variables were significantly correlated with childrenĄ¯s and young adultsĄ¯ library use in libraries of all sizes. Further, analyses of material circulation and program attendance rates reveal that childrenĄ¯s materials account for more than one-third of total library material circulations and 70% of public library program participants attend programs designed for children. The findings of this study provide empirical evidence to support the investment in library resources and services for children and young adults and are discussed in light of expansion of library services and programming focused on informal learning
%K Children
%K Institute of Museum and Library Services
%K library resources
%K public library
%K young adults
%U https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0961000617709057