The kids … er, young adults are all right.
Over the past decade, Gen Z has earned a reputation for marching to the beat of their own drum, tossing asunder hallowed American traditions like email, the 9-to-5 workweek, happy hours and sloppy one-night stands.
Unenamored with the hallmarks of capitalism, puritanically progressive Zoomers — now finding it hard to make money in this cruel world — are devising creative and socially responsible means of getting needs met for less. And there’s one sacred institution that they love to tout: the library.
“You guys are lame, libraries are cool. Haven’t paid for Wi-Fi in three years. Why? My local library gives out Wi-Fi hotspots, not only that, they give out Roku sticks, so I haven’t paid for HBO Max and Netflix in god knows how long,” boasted TikTok user @littalpunk in a video with over 1.3 million views this month.
The low-cost comrade went on to remind viewers that libraries often serve as “safe spaces” for the public, particularly disadvantaged youth, people of color and unhoused citizens — and they produce a wealth of cultural events and academic activities.
“You could go to the library, watch a movie and have, like, a f–king great time. Also register for a library card because even when you register for one and get the card, that’s helping fund libraries. Some libraries have, you know, like cooking classes, video games, DVDs, it’s not just about the books,” @littalpunk declared.
TikTok’s hottest library activist is among many young adults, including millennials, who researchers say are the last hope of survival for free book depots.
A recent study by Portland State University book publishing scholars found that Gen Z and millennials are “still visiting libraries at a healthy clip,” with 54% reporting a library visit in 2022.
The data followed a 2017 report by the Pew Research Center, which found that 53% of millennials had gone to the library during the previous 12 months, whereas only 45% of Gen Xers and 43% of baby boomers could say the same.
Portland State professors Kathi Inman Berens and Rachel Noorda say Gen Zers and millennials are guided by a different moral compass than their elders.
“Younger generations tend to be more values-driven than older ones, and libraries’ ethos of sharing seems to resonate with Gen Zers and millennials — as does a space that’s free from the insipid creep of commercialism. At the library, there are no ads and no fees — well, provided you return your books on time — and no cookies tracking and selling your behavior,” they wrote in their report.
Berens and Noorda also attributed the findings to the adjacent generations’ shared love of printed ephemera, with a particular penchant for graphic novels, comic books and manga, which many agree are best read on paper.
Even the 23% of Gen Zers and millennials who don’t consider themselves to be bookworms, per the study, had gone to a library in the past year for other services.
Aside from loaning out media, libraries also provide ancestral records for family historians; old newsprint for investigators and reporters; technical gear for fledging engineers; telescopes for curious stargazers; and culinary gadgets for budding chefs, plus free access to spaces for studying, recording, crafting and gaming.
Depending on the branch, a library card can also get members free or low-cost entry into local museums, zoos and other public institutions.
The Portland State study comes at a “crucial moment” for libraries, its authors argued. Despite strong public support for libraries, they are struggling to achieve the funding required to maintain their collections, let alone pay a robust staff of librarians and custodians.
“Gen Zers and millennials still see libraries as a kind of oasis — a place where doomscrolling and information overload can be quieted, if temporarily,” Berens and Noorda wrote.
“Perhaps [their] library visits, like their embrace of flip phones and board games, are another life hack for slowing down.”
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