You don't have to burn books to destroy a culture. Just get people to stop reading them. -- Ray Bradbury
A recent Associated Press-Ipsos poll recently found that a quarter of the adults in the U.S. have not read a book in the last year. Book sales have become stagnant. The National Endowment for the Arts just released a study showing that a decline in the amount of reading and reading skills is adversely affecting the American culture. Book readers are more successful in their personal and professional lives and have a more positive impact on their community.
The good news is that libraries across the country are doing booming business. According to Lawrence Library Desk Assistant, Dana Hart, the number of people taking advantage of the Lawrence Library and libraries everywhere, has increased. The Internet, once feared as the death knell of libraries, has encouraged library use. People's thirst for knowledge has been rewarded with programs offered to all ages including more books, videos, video games and internet involvement and availability.
Hart sees library usage begin with toddlers and expects it to boom with them to adulthood.