Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Libraries top McDonald's Numbers

Here's some interesting library facts and statistics as noted by Leonard Kniffel in American Libraries Magazine last fall.

Public libraries and their branch outlets (16,549) outnumber McDonald's restaurants in the USA.

U.S. public library use has reached a new high level. Approximately 2 out of every 3 adults (63%) have a library card.

Book publishing is at an all time high with nearly 300,000 (English language) titles issued yearly.

Academic and public library reference librarians/information specialists (USA) on a weekly basis are responding to 7.2 million questions. Academic librarians alone are handling 72.8 million information/title requests annually.

For computer access, the public library is the first choice for those without home or work computers. Consequently 98.9% of public libraries provide such access, and librarians provide help in achieving accurate and relevant search results.


Relatedly, Mpls businessman and author Harvey Mackay recently touted the services and benefits of libraries in the Star-Trib, even creating one of his Mackay's Morals. "The library is a truly amazing resource - check it out."

List of Gunsmithing Periodicals

We have added a list of our gunsmithing periodicals to the Pine Tech website. Click here. Check it out and see what we have available in this special library collection.