Teens Need Libraries

The National Endowment for the Arts has issued a call to action. A call that the American Library Association intends to take stated ALA president, Loriene Roy.

According to the NEA's literacy study just released called "To Read or Not to Read" : A Question of National Consequence, reading for pleasure has declined for teens and adults. Resulting in lower standardized test scores and poor comprehension skills.

The Public Library Association published a statistical report which stated that only half of U.S. libraries have a librarian dedicated full time to young adult services. Even though, teens who have access to libraries are using them more than ever (30% use libraries more than 10 times a year while, 71% reported use of a library once a month). Young Adult Services Association (YALSA) stated that teens need a teen services librarian who can give the teen the right book at the right time.

The NEA also found that most American adults do not read even one book a year. Good reading habits must be modeled by adults by providing materials, time to read and trips to the library.
As well as vote for legislation to fund and support libraries.