Taylor Barnett, 24, hasn鈥檛 had a public library card since the 1990s, when she was growing up in Victoria, Texas. She would go frequently to the library with her grandparents, especially after they bought a computer with little idea of how to use it.
鈥淭he library had computer classes,鈥� she said. 鈥淢y grandmother really taught [herself] through those classes, and I would go with her to the classes and go home and be her tutor, in a way.鈥�
Barnett recently decided to rejoin the ranks of public library cardholders in anticipation of the grand opening of Austin's new central public library. The 198,000-square-foot building downtown has been more than a decade in the making and will replace the 1970s-era John Henry Faulk Library on Guadalupe Street.
In 2006, voters approved $90 million in bonds to construct the library. City Council members ended up approving an additional $35 million to complete construction. The library's opening has been . But it will finally open its doors Saturday.
While public libraries may seem a thing of the past, .
Barnett, who said she buys books online, ticked off multiple reasons for getting a library card.
鈥淚 could probably save a lot of money. I think the closeness of the library also encouraged me,鈥� said Barnett, who lives downtown. "And, of course, the nice, new shininess of it.鈥�
As a millennial interested in her nearby library, she is likely not alone. , people between the ages of 18 and 35 frequent public libraries more than other age groups. Forty-one percent of millennials used a library website in the past year, compared to 25 percent of baby boomers.
Regardless of age, John Horrigan, a former researcher with the Pew, said the U.S. has had a healthy culture of public library usage during the six years he studied the topic.
鈥淲e find that about 80 percent of Americans have at some point used a public library,鈥� he said. 鈥淚n any given year, about half of all Americans have used a public library.鈥�
Horrigan said Americans鈥� expectations of what they鈥檒l find at their local public library have changed.
鈥淭hey still want to have books and 鈥� to a certain extent 鈥� they still want to have stacks of books available for them to peruse,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut they also want spaces for meetings. They want places where they can use computers they may bring into the library or use computers in the library.鈥�
In addition to stacks upon stacks of books, Austin鈥檚 new central library offers a performance space, caf茅 and a rooftop garden.
Barnett said she still has to pick up her physical library card, but she鈥檒l wait until the crowds disperse to do so.
鈥淸I鈥檒l go] after the peak of people going there and wanting to check it out passes,鈥� she said.
