Bookish Diversions: Shhh! Happens

 From one of my favorite spots on the internet, Joel Miller at Miller's Book Reviews tells us a lot of things about libraries, including this which made me very happy:

Younger Americans love libraries. Millennials and Gen Zers spend time at their local library more frequently than their elders. “54% of Gen Zers and millennials trekk[ed] to their local library in 2022,” say Portland State University professors Kathi Inman Berens and Rachel Noorda, compared to 45 percent of Gen Xers and 43 percent of boomers.

One reason? While the younger generations spend a lot of time on digital devices engaging social media, they prefer print over digital or audio when it comes to books and, according to Berens and Noorda’s data, average about two print books a month. “Gen Zers and millennials still see libraries as a kind of oasis,” they say, “a place where doomscrolling and information overload can be quieted, if temporarily.“

This leads to a lot of interesting things including that libraries all over the world serve as "valued third places." Get it all at the link.