Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Less Demand for Storytimes in the Near Future?


Not likely.   Four million future readers born in 2010 should serve to keep this service going as strong as ever in the 16,671 central and branch public libraries in the U.S.

In a Down Economy, Fewer Births.  (Pew Research, 10/12/2011)

Excerpt: The year 2007 marked a record high number of births in the U.S.-- 4,316,233. Since that time, births have been declining, even as the U.S. population continues to grow. Preliminary data for 2009 indicate that the number of births dropped to 4,131,018 -- the lowest number since 2004. Provisional data show that in 2010 births numbered just over 4 million (4,007,000).

A state-level look at fertility illustrates the strength of the correlation between lower birth rates and economic distress.

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