Touch, Trust, and Tech

Addressing community challenges – education, a strong economy, race, and social equity – means that every community institution needs to be part of the solution. And mayors and elected county officials are wise to understand one institution – the public library – brings a unique mix of assets to the table:

Touch:  Pew Research data shows that 80 percent of Americans have been to a public library at some point in a given year – either in-person or online.

Trust:  Public libraries are rated one of the nation’s most trusted institutions, reliably there to meet the needs of all residents from education resources to job skill-building and more.

Tech:  People turn to libraries to help navigate today’s world – from online access for those without computers to learning how to differentiate real news from fake or gaining knowledge on securing personal data.

[Susan Benton is President and CEO of the Urban Libraries Council. John B. Horrigan is Senior Fellow at the Technology Policy Institute.]