{"id":16878,"date":"2016-11-17T23:26:40","date_gmt":"2016-11-18T04:26:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/digital.hbs.edu\/platform-rctom\/submission\/does-a-library-need-books\/"},"modified":"2016-11-18T13:41:27","modified_gmt":"2016-11-18T18:41:27","slug":"does-a-library-need-books","status":"publish","type":"hck-submission","link":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/submission\/does-a-library-need-books\/","title":{"rendered":"Does a Library Need Books?"},"content":{"rendered":"

The HBS library around me is busy – three quarters of the nearby seats\u00a0are occupied and dozens of people are working on laptops, looking at smartphones, or reading printouts. \u00a0Only one person is reading an actual book; the surrounding books serve more as decoration for the \u201clibrary atmosphere\u201d than an actual resource.<\/p>\n

Over 30% of Americans now own an eReader and \u00a0more than 60% own a smartphone1<\/sup>. While book sales overall are growing (up 8% from 2008 to 2013), print book sales are declining (down 8% over the same period)2<\/sup>. Historically, libraries were institutions which\u00a0delivered value by storing printed media and shared them with the community. They received funding (from governments, universities, donors) because access to print resources was valuable to society \u2013 libraries educated and entertained people while bringing communities together. Americans today confirm that libraries still have a role, with 76% agreeing that libraries serve a community need.3<\/sup><\/p>\n

However, as digital media grows, the traditional operating model of libraries as printed media repositories and lenders is not enough \u2013 libraries have to do more. In fact, visit volume is declining (53% of Americans visited a library in 2012 vs. 44% in 2015)3<\/sup> and library budgets risk cuts\u00a0as public and private sources are less likely to fund an underutilized service.<\/p>\n

\"library\"<\/a><\/p>\n

(Boston Public Library, from http:\/\/www.boston-discovery-guide.com<\/a>)<\/p>\n

The Boston Public Library (BPL) faces this challenge but has the advantages of scale and resources compared to smaller libraries, giving the BPL more room to innovate. BPL was the first free large municipal library in the US and now has 24 branches with 3.7 million annual visitors.4 <\/sup>Like most libraries, it relies on public sources for most of its revenue (88%)5<\/sup> and uses that funding to deliver on its mission\/value proposition \u201cto preserve and provide access to historical records\u2026. and to serve the cultural, educational, and informational needs of the people of the City and the Commonwealth\u201d4<\/sup><\/p>\n

\"budget\"<\/a><\/p>\n

(BPL Budget, from http:\/\/www.bpl.org\/finances\/<\/a>)<\/p>\n

Notably, the mission mentions nothing about print media \u2013 lending books is not the only way the library achieves its mission. In a world shifting away from printed books, the BPL is changing its operating model to more digital resource offerings in several ways:<\/p>\n