The majority of parents, especially those with children below the age of 18, view libraries as an important resource for their children and are far more engaged with libraries than adults who do not have kids, Pew Research Center has found.

The findings, released today, come from a survey conducted last fall, in which Pew asked more than 2,200 people about their involvement with libraries. The survey and subsequent report are part of a larger initiative called the Internet & American Life Project.

"[Parents] are a special cohort because of their affection for libraries, their deep sense that libraries matter to their children, and their own use of libraries," commented Lee Rainie, the director of the Pew Internet Project. "They do more and they are eager for more library services of every kind."

The higher rate of involvement with libraries likely stems from the importance that parents place on reading in their children's lives, Pew also noted in its findings. Some 50% of parents with children under the age of 12 read to their children every day, and another 26% read to their children at least a few times per week. Generally speaking, the younger the children, the keener the parents are to read to them every day. Mothers especially are more likely than fathers to be involved with libraries and read more often with their children.

Kathryn Zickhur, a Pew Internet Project research analyst, commented: "Parents' ties to libraries are all the more striking because parents are more likely than other adults to have computers, internet access, smartphones, and tablet computers. The presence of this technology in their lives might make them less reliant on libraries... but the opposite is the case--the more technology they have, the more they're likely to take advantage of library services."

More information on the Pew Internet & American Life Project, including its library projects, can be found here. --Alex Mutter