When it comes to public libraries, immigrant Hispanics pose both a challenge and an opportunity to the library community. On the one hand, this group, which makes up half of the adult U.S. Hispanic population, is less likely than other Americans to have ever visited a U.S. public library and is much less likely to say that they see it as “very easy” to do so. At the same time, Hispanic immigrants who have made their way to a public library stand out as the most appreciative of what libraries have to offer, from free books to research resources to the fact that libraries tend to offer a quiet, safe space. And they are more likely than other groups to say that closing their community library would have a major impact on their family. These are some of the findings of this latest installment of the Pew Research Center’s reporting on the Center’s landmark 2013 Library Services Survey.

Some public library services can also be accessed remotely through library websites. Here, too, though, the survey finds a gap in use between U.S.-born Latinos (49%), blacks (48%) and whites (45%) who say they have accessed a public library website and immigrant Latinos (27%) who say the same.

[tweetable url="http://pewrsr.ch/1xrWcGp" alt="33% of immigrant Hispanics vs. 60% of U.S.-born Hispanics say they would find it very easy to visit a public library"]

One reason immigrant Hispanics may find public libraries more difficult to use is their language use or skills—more than half are Spanish-dominant, according to recent Pew Research Center surveys of Hispanics.¹ As a result, the availability of Spanish-language materials at public libraries may be a reason, though the 2013 library survey did not ask about either measure.

When it comes to using public library websites, 24% of immigrant Hispanics say this would be “very easy” to do so, a share below that of U.S.-born Hispanics (42%), whites (51%) and blacks (47%) who same the same. This difference in use between foreign-born Latinos and U.S.-born Latinos, whites and blacks may reflect the gap in internet access between immigrant Latinos and others. According to the 2013 Library Services Survey, 75% of immigrant Latinos use the internet while 92% of U.S.-born Latinos, 87% of whites and 81% of blacks are internet users.²

Immigrant Hispanic Library Patrons Rate Library Services Highly

There are more than 17,000 public libraries and bookmobiles nationwide, which together serve 96% of the U.S. population. In fiscal year 2010, libraries circulated some 2.5 billion materials, which include books along with many other materials such as DVDs and e-books (Swan et al., 2013). But public libraries have seen their role shift as they also become a community center and hub for technology (Zickuhr, Rainie and Purcell, 2013), offering a range of services for their users.

The Pew Research library survey finds that among library users, that is, those who have ever used a public library, Hispanics are less likely than whites or blacks to know about the services offered by their local library. Six-in-ten (62%) Hispanic library users say they know about at least some of the library services their local public library offers. By comparison, 71% of white and 74% of black library users say the same about their public libraries.

Nonetheless, Latinos who have ever used a library or have household members who have done so are more likely than whites to say that services libraries offer beyond book lending are important. This is especially true among immigrant Latinos, who are as much as three times as likely as whites to say this. For example, among library users, 85% of immigrant Latinos say that offering a quiet, safe place to spend time, read or study is a “very important” service offered by public libraries for themselves and their families. By contrast, 60% of U.S.-born Latinos, 71% of blacks and 43% of whites say the same. The gap between immigrant Latinos and whites is largest on services such as help finding and applying for a job and help applying for government programs, permits or licenses. Two-thirds (68%) of immigrant Latinos say each of these library services is very important for themselves and their families. Among whites, just 20% say the same about each service.

Perhaps because of the importance of library services for Latino library patrons, Latinos overall are more likely than whites or blacks to say library closings would have a major impact on themselves and their families.

[tweetable url="http://pewrsr.ch/1xrWcGp" alt="Half of immigrant Hispanics say the closing of their local library would have a major impact on their families"]

When it comes to the impact the closing of their local public library would have on their community, two-thirds (65%) of Hispanics say the impact would be a major one, a similar share to that of whites (63%) and blacks (64%). However, immigrant Hispanics are the most likely to see an impact on their community. Some 73% say this, compared with 58% of U.S.-born Hispanics.³

Public Opinion About Public Libraries

Overall, Hispanics have strongly positive feelings about the role of libraries in their communities, just as other Americans do. However, Hispanics are more likely than others to say that public libraries are becoming obsolete as a tool for finding information.

For example, eight-in-ten (80%) Hispanics “strongly agree” that libraries are important because they promote literacy and a love of reading, a share similar to that of blacks (83%), and somewhat higher than that of whites (76%), who say the same. All three groups also strongly agree that public libraries play an important role in giving everyone a chance to succeed because they provide free access to materials and resources, though again the share is somewhat higher among Hispanics (75%) and blacks (77%) than it is among whites (70%). And 71% of Hispanics, 69% of whites and 73% of blacks strongly agree that public libraries improve the quality of life in a community.

Among Latinos, there are some differences between the U.S. born and immigrants in their views of the roles of public libraries. For example, while 44% of U.S.-born Latinos strongly agree that libraries provide many services hard to find elsewhere (a share similar to the 47% of whites who say the same), 63% of immigrant Latinos express the same views. When it comes to whether public libraries improve the quality of life in a community, 77% of immigrant Latinos strongly agree that they do, while 65% of U.S.-born Latinos strong agree.

However, views about public libraries are not always positive among foreign-born Latinos—43% strongly agree that public libraries are not needed as much as they used to be because information can be found elsewhere. By contrast, 27% of U.S.-born Latinos say the same about public libraries, as do 21% of blacks and 19% of whites.

The nation’s Hispanic population is its largest minority group. Today more than 54 million Hispanics live in the U.S., making up 17% of all Americans (U.S. Census Bureau, 2014). Hispanics are also younger than other groups. Among Hispanics the median age is 27 years, which drops to 18 years among U.S.-born Hispanics (Brown and Patten, 2014). By comparison, the median age for non-Hispanic whites is 42 years.

These findings are based on a nationally representative survey of 6,224 Americans ages 16 and older, including 739 Hispanics. It was fielded July 18-Sept. 30, 2013 in all 50 states and the District of Columbia in English and Spanish on landline and cellular phones. The margin of error for the Hispanics sample is plus or minus 3.9 percentage points at the 95% confidence level.

Among the report’s other main findings:

Accessing Public Libraries

• [tweetable url="http://pewrsr.ch/1xrWcGp" alt="51% of Hispanics say they have a library card, including 62% of U.S.-born Hispanics and 40% of immigrant Hispanics"]The survey finds that 51% of Hispanics say they have a library card for a public library—including 62% of U.S.-born Hispanics and 40% of foreign-born Hispanics. U.S.-born Hispanics are about equally likely as whites (63%) and blacks (64%) to have a library card.
• U.S.-born Hispanic parents are more likely than foreign-born Hispanic parents to say their children have visited a public library or bookmobile in the 12 months prior to when the survey was conducted (72% vs. 56%). Hispanic parents overall are less likely than white parents to say their children have visited a public library or bookmobile in that 12-month period—62% of Hispanic parents say this, compared with 71% of white parents.
• About two-thirds of Hispanics (65%) who have ever used a public library say that the library nearest them is a nice, pleasant space. Only 2% say it’s not a pleasant space and needs a lot of improvement. The remainder say that it’s an OK space but could use some improvements, have never been inside their local library, or don’t know.
• Some 8% of Hispanic library users say they have had a negative experience using a public library, either in person or online. U.S.-born Hispanic library users are more likely than the foreign-born Hispanic library users to say this (11% vs. 6%).

Who are Hispanic Library Users?⁴

• Some 58% of Hispanic library patrons ages 16 and older are U.S. born, and 41% are foreign born. By contrast, just 30% of Hispanic non-library users are U.S. born and 70% are foreign born. Among all Hispanics ages 16 and older, 54% are U.S. born.
• Hispanic library users are disproportionately young compared with library users overall. Fully 39% of Hispanic library users are ages 16 to 29, compared with 24% of all library users.
• Hispanic library users are also disproportionately less educated than the overall library user population. About one-quarter (26%) of Hispanic library users ages 18 and older have not graduated from high school, and 42% have completed some college or more. By contrast, among all U.S. library users ages 18 and older, just 11% have not graduated from high school, while more than half (59%) have completed at least some college.⁵

How Latinos Consume Information

• Hispanics report having read roughly the same number of books as whites and blacks in the 12 months prior to the survey. Taking non-readers into account, Hispanics read a median of three books per year—not statistically different from five among blacks and six among whites.⁶
• Some 73% of Latinos say the statement “I like to learn new things” describes them “very well.” An equal share of blacks say the same, as do 67% of whites.
• Hispanics are more likely than whites or blacks to say the statement “I like hunting for facts and information that are hard to find” describes them “very well.” Some 37% of Hispanics say this, compared with 27% of whites and 30% of blacks who express the same view. Among Hispanics, immigrants express this view more so than the U.S. born—41% vs. 33%, respectively.
• Immigrant Latinos are more likely than others to say the statement “I prefer audio and video over reading” describes them “very well.” About one-third (32%) of immigrant Latinos say this, compared with 23% of U.S.-born Latinos, 22% of blacks and 18% of whites.
• Fully 86% of Hispanics say they like having so much information available these days, while 12% say they feel overloaded with information. By comparison, 82% of blacks and 78% of whites say they like having so much information available.

Ease of Finding Information

• About one-third (35%) of Hispanics say it would be difficult to find information about government benefits and programs. Among Hispanics, 42% of the foreign born say this while 28% of U.S.-born Hispanics say the same. By comparison, 27% of whites and 31% of blacks say it would be difficult to find information about government benefits and programs.
• Hispanics are nearly twice as likely as whites and blacks to say finding information about career, job and education opportunities would be difficult—30%, compared with 16% and 17%, respectively. Much of this difference is driven by immigrant Hispanics, 42% of whom say finding this kind of information would be difficult. By comparison, just 18% of U.S.-born Hispanics say the same.
• Some 72% of immigrant Latinos say they would ask someone for help when applying for government benefits or services, a share higher than that among U.S.-born Latinos (57%), blacks (55%) or whites (53%) who say they would do the same.
• Fully 64% of immigrant Latinos say they would ask someone for help when learning how to use a new tech device, a share higher than that among U.S.-born Latinos (34%), whites (48%) and blacks (46%) who say they would ask for help with a new tech device.

A large majority of Hispanics say they have used a public library at some time in their life, and some 46% say they have used one in the 12 months prior to the survey. However, the Pew Research survey shows that Hispanics (especially those who are foreign born) are less likely than whites and blacks to have a library card, to have ever used a public library’s website, and to say it would be “very easy” to use a public library if they wanted to do so.

Visiting Public Libraries

About seven-in-ten (72%) Hispanics say they have ever used a public library, a somewhat smaller share than either blacks (80%) or whites (83%) who say the same.

While Latinos are less likely than whites or blacks to say they have ever used a library, they are about as likely to say they have used one within 12 months prior to the survey. Some 46% of all Latinos have used a public library or bookmobile in person in the 12 months prior to the survey, roughly the same share as blacks (47%) and whites (48%) who say the same.

Among Hispanics, the survey reveals differences in library use across demographic subgroups. For example, U.S.-born Hispanics (83%) are more likely than foreign-born Hispanics (60%) to say they have ever visited a library in person. And as for visiting one in the 12 months prior to the survey, 54% of U.S.-born Hispanics say they have done this, compared with 36% of foreign-born Hispanics.

These differences in library use by Hispanic nativity reveal another finding. Overall, U.S.-born Latinos (83%) are just as likely as blacks (80%) and whites (83%) to say they have visited a public library or bookmobile at some point in their lives. But when it comes to visiting a public library in the 12 months prior to the survey, fully 54% of U.S.-born Latinos say they have done so, a somewhat higher share than that among whites (48%) or blacks (47%).

Among Hispanics, just as among the general public (Zickuhr, Rainie, Purcell and Duggan, 2013), library use is linked to educational attainment. About six-in-ten (57%) Hispanics with less than a high school education say they have ever used a public library, compared with 69% of those with a high school diploma and 85% of those who attended some college or completed more education.

Library use is also correlated with age. Among Latinos ages 16 to 29, about eight-in-ten (79%) say they have ever visited a library in person. By comparison, 67% of Latinos ages 30 to 49 and 70% of Latino adults ages 50 or older say the same.

Frequency of Library Visits

Among Hispanics who say they have visited a public library in person in the preceding 12 months, 14% visit at least once per week, 45% say monthly or several times a month and 41% visit less often. Hispanics are about as likely as blacks and whites to visit a library every week. According to the survey, 19% of blacks say they visit a library weekly, 39% say they do so monthly or several times a month and 42% say they visit less frequently, results that are similar to those of Hispanics. And among whites, 13% visit weekly, 43% visit monthly or several times a month and 45% visit less often, also similar to Hispanics.

Library Cards

Another way to measure engagement with public libraries is whether survey respondents say they have a library card. According to the Pew Research survey, Hispanics are less likely than blacks or whites to have one—51% compared with 64% and 63%, respectively.

However, just as with visiting public libraries, the survey reveals differences among Hispanics. For example, 62% of U.S.-born Hispanics say they have a library card for a public library. By comparison, just 40% of immigrant Hispanics say the same. The share of U.S.-born Hispanics with a library card is just as high as it is among whites and blacks.

Hispanic women are more likely than Hispanic men to say they have a library card (60% vs. 43%). Younger Hispanics ages 16 to 29 (54%) and ages 30 to 49 (55%) are more likely to have one than Hispanics ages 50 and older (40%). And Hispanics with a high school education or some college experience are almost twice as likely to have a library card as those who did not graduate from high school (54% and 64% compared with 30%, respectively).

Accessing Libraries Online

While Americans are more likely to visit a public library in person, many also use public library websites, which offer not only information about a library (hours of operation, for example) but also access to some library services (Hoffman, Bertot and Davis, 2012).

According to the Pew Research survey, 38% of Latinos say they have accessed a public library website at some time and 26% say they have used a public library website in the 12 months prior to the survey. By comparison, a greater share of blacks and whites say they have ever used a public library website. For example, 48% of blacks and 45% of whites say they have ever gone to a public library website. And 31% of each group says they have used a public library website in the 12 months prior to the survey.

There are differences within the Latino community as well. For example, U.S.-born Latinos are nearly twice as likely as immigrant Latinos to say they have accessed a public library website site at some time in their lives—49% vs. 27%. Similarly, U.S.-born Latinos are more likely than immigrant Latinos to have used a public library website in the 12 months prior to the survey—34% vs. 19%. The findings for U.S.-born Latinos on accessing a public library website match those of whites and blacks.

This gap in use of library websites between immigrant Hispanics and U.S.-born Hispanics may reflect differences in internet use. According to the survey, 92% of U.S.-born Hispanics use the internet or email at least occasionally, compared with 75% of immigrant Hispanics.

The survey also reveals differences among Hispanics by educational attainment. Those with some college experience (64%) are more likely than those with a high school diploma (30%) or less than a high school diploma (12%) to say they have ever used a public library website. This may also reflect differences in internet use: 96% of those with at least some college education use the internet, a higher share than among high school graduates (85%) and those with less than a high school education (64%).

Accessing Local Public Libraries

Though a significant majority of all major demographic groups say they know where their closest public library is, Hispanics are somewhat less likely than whites and blacks to say this. According to the survey, 82% of Hispanics say this, compared with roughly nine-in-ten whites (93%) and blacks (89%).

This finding masks a difference among Latinos linked to nativity. Nine-in-ten U.S.-born Latinos, similar to the share of blacks and whites, say they know the location of their nearest public library. By contrast, a significant but smaller share of foreign-born Hispanics (73%) says the same.

Other differences are present among Hispanics, too. For example, Hispanics with a high school diploma (85%) or with at least some college experience (90%) are more likely than those with less than a high school diploma (67%) to be familiar with the location of their local library.

Though U.S.-born Hispanics (90%) are more likely than foreign-born Hispanics (73%) to know where their closest library is, near equal shares of those who do know its location (82% of the U.S. born and 81% of the foreign born) say it is within five miles. Overall, 81% of Hispanics, 78% of whites and 82% of blacks who know the location say their local library is within five miles of where they live.

The survey also shows that despite the geographic proximity to their local library, Hispanics are more likely than whites or blacks to say they would find it difficult to use the library if they wanted to, both in person and online. Among all Hispanics, 47% say they think it would be “very easy” to visit in person, compared with 67% of whites and 59% of blacks. U.S.-born Hispanics are almost twice as likely (60%) as the foreign born (33%) to say it would be very easy to visit a public library in person.

According to the survey, the least educated are the most likely to anticipate difficulties. Hispanics with less than a high school education (23%) are at least half as likely as those with a high school diploma (50%) or at least some college experience (60%) to say that they would find it very easy to visit a library in person.

Nearly identical patterns emerge when respondents are asked about using the website of their local public library. One-third of Hispanics say it would be very easy to use a library website, compared with roughly half of whites (51%) and blacks (47%).

Among Hispanics, one-quarter of the foreign born (24%) say they would find it very easy to use a library’s website if they wanted to, compared with 42% of U.S.-born Hispanics. Just 12% of Hispanics with less than a high school education say it would be very easy to use a library website, compared with 36% of high school graduates and about half (47%) of those who have completed at least some college.

Libraries and Children

Among parents, Latinos are less likely than whites to have children who visit libraries or bookmobiles. According to the survey, about six-in-ten (62%) Latino parents with children under 18 say their child has visited a library in the previous 12 months. By comparison, 71% of white parents and 69% of black parents say this. But these findings hide a large difference among Latinos. Some 72% of U.S.-born parents with children under 18 say their children visit libraries. But among immigrant parents, 56% say their children visit public libraries.

Book Reading

Hispanics report reading a median of three books in the 12 months prior to the survey.⁷ Though there are no statistically significant differences by nativity or race/ethnicity in the median number of books read, there are modest differences in the share of each who are readers. Three-quarters of Hispanics say they read at least one book in that 12-month period, lower than the shares among whites (82%) and blacks (80%). The share of U.S.-born Hispanics who have read at least one book in that period (80%) is comparable to those of whites and blacks, while 72% of foreign-born Hispanics say the same.

As libraries face a rapidly changing world of technology with e-reading rising in popularity, they are adjusting. More than three-quarters of libraries (76%) offered access to e-books in 2011-2012, a 9% increase from the previous year, and 39% offer e-readers for checkout (Hoffman, Bertot and Davis, 2012). According to the survey, nearly half (44%) of Hispanics own either an e-reader such as a Nook or Kindle, a tablet computer such as an iPad or Google Nexus, or both. More data on e-reader and tablet ownership can be found at Pew Research Center’s Internet, Science & Technology (Zickuhr and Rainie, 2014).

Hispanics feel strongly that libraries are important for their communities, just as most Americans do. But when it comes to specific library services, the Pew Research survey reveals that Hispanic library users, especially immigrants, value services such as access to free books and media or having a place to do research more than white library users. The survey also finds that a majority of Hispanics see library closings as having major impacts on their communities.

Libraries and Communities

The Pew Research survey on library use asked respondents about the roles of libraries in their communities such as promoting literacy, improving quality of life, providing services that are hard to find elsewhere and that by providing free services, public libraries give everyone a chance to succeed. The survey also asked whether libraries keep up with new technology and whether libraries are becoming obsolete.

Overall, Hispanics are more likely than whites to strongly agree with nearly every statement about libraries tested—both the positive and the negative. Nonetheless, differences in opinions between the two groups are generally not large.

For example, 80% of Hispanics strongly agree that public libraries are important because they “promote literacy and a love of reading.” By comparison, 76% of whites say the same. Similarly, large majorities of Hispanics and whites say that public libraries “play an important role in giving everyone a chance to succeed” because they “provide free access to materials and resources,” but Hispanics are somewhat more likely than whites to say this (75% vs. 70%). Around half (54%) of Hispanics say that public libraries “provide many services people would have a hard time finding elsewhere,” a larger share than that of whites (47%) who say the same.

Yet the survey also finds that Latinos are more likely than whites or blacks to see libraries as becoming obsolete. For example, a sizable minority (36%) of Latinos strongly agrees that “people do not need public libraries as much as they used to because they can find most information on their own.” By comparison, only 19% of whites and 21% of blacks strongly agree with this statement.

Foreign-born Hispanics are more likely than U.S.-born Hispanics to strongly agree on nearly every statement about public libraries tested in the survey. For example, foreign-born Hispanics are more likely than their U.S.-born counterparts to strongly agree that public libraries provide many services people would have a hard time finding elsewhere (63% vs. 44%). Also, fully 85% of Hispanic immigrants strongly agree that public libraries are important because they promote literacy and a love of reading, while 75% of U.S.-born Hispanics strongly agree. And about three-quarters of foreign-born Hispanics (77%) strongly agree that having a public library improves the quality of life in a community, compared with 65% of U.S.-born Hispanics.

Foreign-born Latinos are also more likely than U.S.-born Latinos to agree with negative statements about libraries. Some 43% of Latino immigrants strongly agree that people do not need libraries as much as they used to because they can find most information on their own, while only about a quarter of U.S.-born Latinos (27%) say the same. And foreign-born Latinos are more than twice as likely as U.S.-born Latinos to say that public libraries have not done a good job keeping up with new technologies (26% vs. 10%). These findings stand in contrast to the findings from the survey about library use as foreign-born Latinos are less likely than U.S.-born Latinos to use public libraries or library websites.

There are also some differences among Hispanics in their views of public libraries by age groups. Hispanics ages 30 and older are more likely than those ages 16 to 29 to strongly agree on each question tested. For example, 85% of Hispanics ages 30 and older strongly agree that libraries are important because they promote literacy and a love of reading. By comparison, a somewhat smaller majority (71%) of those ages 16 to 29 say the same. About three-quarters of those ages 30 and older (77%) strongly agree that having a public library improves the quality of life in a community, compared with 61% of those ages 16 to 29. And a majority of adults ages 30 and older (60%) strongly agree that public libraries provide many services that people would have a hard time finding elsewhere, while 42% of 16- to 29-year-olds say the same.

Hispanics between the ages of 30 and 49 are more likely than their younger counterparts to strongly agree that people do not need public libraries as much as they once did because they can find most information on their own. Some four-in-ten 30- to 49-year-olds say this, compared with 30% of 16- to 29-year-olds and 35% of those ages 50 and older.

Importance and Impact of Libraries

When it comes to the impact public library services have on themselves and their families, the Pew Research survey finds that Hispanics who have ever used the library or have household members who have ever done so are more likely than white library users to see public library services as important to themselves personally or to their families.⁸

Among the highest rated services for Hispanic library users is having a quiet and safe place to spend time, read or study—71% say this is very important to them and their families. By comparison, 43% of white library users say the same. An equal 71% share of black library users say having a quiet and safe place to read and study is very important to them.

Also among the most highly rated services are resources to do research for school or work—68% of Hispanics who use libraries or have household members who do say this is a very important service, as do 66% of black library users. By contrast, only 39% of white library users say this is a very important public library service.

Two-thirds (67%) of Hispanics say access to free books and media is a very important service offered by public libraries for themselves and their families, as do 62% of blacks. Just 49% of whites say the same.

Even for the lowest rated service asked about in the survey, programs or events for adults, a sizable minority of Hispanics (45%) and blacks (46%) who use public libraries or have household members who do say this service is very important to themselves and their families. Among white library users, only 21% say the same about adult programs.

Differences also exist by nativity among Hispanics who use libraries or have household members who do. For example, 85% of immigrant Hispanic library users say having a quiet, safe place to spend time, read or study is very important to themselves or their families. By contrast, 60% of U.S.-born Hispanics say the same. Similarly, when it comes to using library resources to help find a job or apply for one, two-thirds (68%) of immigrant Hispanic library users say this is very important. Among U.S.-born Hispanics, just 43% say the same about this service.

Hispanics are about as likely as blacks to say that internet, computers and printers are a very important service provided by public libraries (54% and 57%, respectively), more than twice as likely to say this as whites (24%). Foreign-born Hispanics (68%) are more likely than U.S.-born Hispanics (44%) to say this is a very important service.

According to the survey, eight-in-ten Hispanic internet users access the internet at home, compared with 85% of blacks and 93% of whites. This may help to explain why Hispanics place a greater importance than whites on internet, computer and printer services provided by public libraries. Nearly two-thirds (62%) of public libraries report that they are the only source of free public computer and internet access in their communities (Hoffman, Bertot and Davis, 2012).

Not all Latinos see these services as important for themselves or their families. But here, too, differences by nativity and age exist. Some 16% of U.S.-born Latinos who have ever used a public library or who say someone in their household has say they found none of the services tested to be very important for themselves or their families, compared with only 5% of foreign-born Latinos who say the same. In addition, younger Hispanics (who are more likely to be U.S. born) have similar views. Fully 16% of those ages 16 to 29 say they do not find any of these services to be very important to themselves or their families, compared with 9% of Hispanics ages 30 and older.

Impact of Closing Public Libraries

The Pew Research survey asked respondents about the impact of public library closings on respondents’ families and also on their community. According to the survey, Hispanics are more likely than whites and blacks to say that there would be a major impact on them and their family if their local public library closed. Fully four-in-ten Hispanics say there would be a major impact, compared with 32% of blacks and 26% of whites. Among Hispanics, the survey finds differences on this question, too. For example, half of foreign-born Hispanics say there would be a major impact on them and their families if their local library were to close, compared with only 29% of U.S.-born Hispanics who say the same—a 21 percentage point gap. Hispanic women (45%) also are more likely to predict a serious impact on their families than are Hispanic men (35%).

When looking only at Hispanics who have used a library or have had a family member who used a library, the pattern holds. Some 42% of these Hispanics say there would be a major impact, compared with 33% of blacks and 28% of whites. Among Hispanics who have used a library or live in a household with a library user, 55% of foreign-born Hispanics say there would be a major impact on them and their families if their local library were to close, compared with only 30% of U.S.-born Hispanics who say the same.

When asking about the larger impact on their communities, the survey finds that a greater share of all Hispanics say there would be a major impact on their community if their public library closed than say it would affect their family. Over half (65%) of Hispanics say the impact on their community of a library closing would be major, about on a par with blacks (64%) and whites (63%). Hispanic immigrants are more likely than U.S.-born Hispanics to say the closing of their local public library would have a major impact on their community (73% vs. 58%). Hispanic women express more worry than do Hispanic men about the impact of a public library closing on their community—73% and 58%, respectively, say it would have a major impact.

Knowledge of Library Services

About six-in-ten Hispanics (62%) who have ever used a public library feel that they know at least some of the services and programs their local library offers, compared with 71% of whites and 74% of blacks.

Nearly all Hispanics who have ever visited a public library in person say that it was easy to find what they were looking for (60% say it was “easy” and 30% say “very easy”). More U.S.-born Hispanics describe the experience as “very easy” (37% of U.S.-born compared with 20% of foreign-born Hispanics), but in total, around 90% of both groups say it was easy or very easy to find what they were looking for.

Hispanics have somewhat different patterns of information consumption than whites and blacks, according to the Pew Research Center Library Services Survey. For example, Hispanics are more likely to prefer learning in an audio or visual format over text compared with non-Hispanics, and more likely to say that they like hunting for facts and information that are hard to find. The survey also finds that immigrant Hispanics are generally more likely than U.S.-born Hispanics, whites or blacks to predict that they will have trouble finding information and to ask for help in completing some tasks requiring specialized knowledge.

Information Consumption—Learning and Research Habits

The Pew Research Center survey asked respondents about their learning and research habits. For example, it asked whether such statements as “I like to learn new things,” “I like hunting for facts and information that are hard to find,” “I get frustrated when I can’t find information I need right away” and “I prefer audio and video over reading” describe them very well, somewhat, a little or not at all.

Patterns of learning and research habits vary some among Hispanics, whites and blacks. For example, Hispanics and blacks are slightly more likely than whites to say that the statement “I like to learn new things” describes them very well—73% and 73% compared with 67%, respectively. When it comes to finding information, 37% of Hispanics say the statement “I like hunting for facts and information that are hard to find” describes them very well. By comparison, somewhat smaller shares of whites (27%) and blacks (30%) express the same view. The survey also reveals that Hispanics are more likely than whites and blacks to say the statement “I prefer getting information in audio and video format than from reading text” describes them very well—27% compared with 18% and 22%, respectively.

The survey also finds that Latinos are just as likely as whites or blacks to say they get frustrated when they can’t find information quickly. One-quarter (25%) of Latinos say the statement describes them very well, as do 24% of whites and 21% of blacks.

There are significant differences among Hispanic subgroups on some, but not all, of these information consumption statements. For example, the foreign born are more likely than the U.S. born to say that the statement “I like hunting for facts and information that are hard to find” describes them very well—41% vs. 33%. Immigrants are also more likely than the U.S. born to prefer to get information in audio and video format over text (32% vs. 23%).⁹ On other measures, there are no differences between immigrant Hispanics and U.S.-born Hispanics. For example, U.S.-born and foreign-born Hispanics are about equally likely to strongly agree that they get frustrated when they can’t find information they need right away (24% and 27%, respectively).

Other differences among Hispanics are also revealed by the survey. While majorities of Hispanics of all ages say they like to learn new things, younger Hispanics are more likely than older Hispanics to say that the statement describes them very well. About three-quarters of Hispanics ages 16 to 29 (75%) and ages 30 to 49 (78%) say this, compared with only 61% of those ages 50 and older. Yet the youngest Hispanics are also more likely than older Hispanics to say that they get frustrated when they can’t find the information they need right away. Some 29% of those ages 16 to 29 say this statement describes them very well, while 20% of Hispanics ages 50 and older say the same.

Hispanics with more education are more likely to say they like to learn new things—83% of those with some college or more education say this, as do 74% of high school graduates, compared with 62% of those with less than a high school education. There were no statistically significant differences between education attainment levels on the other statements.

The survey also asked respondents about another form of learning—keeping up with the news. Fully half of Latinos say they enjoy it “a lot,” and 32% say they enjoy it some. Among whites and blacks, 55% and 63%, respectively, say they enjoy it a lot, and 31% and 24%, respectively, say they enjoy it some.¹⁰

Ease of Searching for Information

Searching for information on some topics can be easy for some and difficult for others. In the Pew Research survey, respondents were asked about how hard it would be to find information about government benefits and programs; reliable health information; career, job and education opportunities; happenings in the respondent’s community; and politics and current events.

When finding information about government benefits and programs, about one-third (35%) of Hispanics say it would be difficult or very difficult to do so. By comparison, 27% of whites and 31% of blacks say the same. And Hispanics are twice as likely to say it would be difficult to find information about career opportunities, job training or educational programs (30%, compared with just 16% of whites and 17% of blacks).

The survey also finds that about one-quarter (24%) of Hispanics say it would be difficult to get reliable health information and a similar share (23%) say the same when it comes to finding information about what’s happening in their community. For whites and blacks, smaller shares say the same about finding health information (18% and 17%, respectively) or information about what’s happening in their community (11% and 14%, respectively).

Some 18% of Hispanics say it would be difficult or very difficult to find information about politics and current events. By comparison, just 8% of whites say this, as do 12% of blacks.

The survey also shows that the ease of finding information varies among Hispanic demographic subgroups. On four out of five items tested, there were large gaps between U.S.-born and foreign-born Hispanics. For example, the widest gap between immigrant Hispanics and U.S.-born Hispanics was on finding information about career, job and education opportunities. Some 42% of immigrant Hispanics say finding information about those topics would be very difficult or difficult to do, compared with half as many (18%) U.S.-born Hispanics—a 23 percentage point gap. The survey also finds that 42% of foreign-born Hispanics say it would be difficult or very difficult to find information about government benefits and programs. By contrast, just 28% of U.S.-born Hispanics say the same—a share that more closely resembles the assessments of whites (27%) and blacks (31%) on this question.

On one issue, health, there was no statistically significant difference between immigrant Hispanics and U.S.-born Hispanics in their assessment of being able to find information about it—26% of the foreign born and 21% of the U.S. born say it would be very difficult or difficult to find information about the topic.

Asking for Help When Searching for Information

The library survey also asked respondents about how comfortable they are with doing certain tasks on their own or if they would be likely to seek help.

For the tasks that would require specialized knowledge or education, such as starting a business, filing taxes and applying for government services or benefits, at least half of those in each racial/ethnic group say they would probably ask for help. For example, 76% of Hispanics say they would find help to start a business, 76% would do the same when filing their taxes, and 64% say they would get outside counsel to apply for government services. Whites are slightly less likely than Hispanics to say they would get help starting a business (72%), filing taxes (63%) or applying for government services (53%).

Just as with other questions in the library survey, there are many differences among Hispanic subgroups when it comes to asking for help. For example, foreign-born Hispanics are more likely than U.S.-born Hispanics to say they would seek help filing their taxes (84% vs. 69%, respectively) and applying for government benefits (72% vs. 57%, respectively), though at least half of both groups agree with the statements. Both immigrants and non-immigrants are about equally likely to seek help when starting a business (three-quarters of each say they would).

Hispanics with less than a high school education are more likely than those with more education to say they would look for help on these tasks. For example, 83% of Hispanics with less than a high school education say they would ask for help with applying for government benefits, compared with 62% of high school graduates and 51% of those with at least some college experience.

On technology-based tasks, the divides look different. Hispanics are as likely as whites and blacks to seek help with a new tech device such as a tablet computer or smartphone (49% of Hispanics would get help, compared with 48% of whites and 46% of blacks). And about one-in-four (26%) Hispanics say they would ask for help to use social media like Facebook or Twitter to connect with friends or family—about the same share as among whites (28%) but somewhat less than the share of blacks (34%) who would seek help.

Among Latinos, though, the gaps between the foreign born and U.S. born are even wider in these types of tasks than other information seeking tasks. For example, immigrant Latinos are about twice as likely as U.S.-born Latinos to ask for help with new tech devices (64% vs. 34%), and significantly more likely to seek someone to help them use social media (32% vs. 20%).

Information Overload

When asked whether they feel overloaded with information these days or if they like having so much information available, more than eight-in-ten (86%) Hispanics and 82% of blacks say they like having so much information at their fingertips. (By comparison, 78% of whites say the same.) This may be due in part to the Hispanic population’s relative youth, as Hispanics ages 16 to 29 were more likely than Latinos ages 50 and older to say they like the high volume of information available today and are less likely to feel overwhelmed. Nonetheless, even when taking age into account, Hispanics are still more likely to feel favorably toward the large amount of information available today. Fully 91% of Hispanics ages 16 to 29 say they like having so much information available, a somewhat higher share than the 85% of whites and 83% of blacks ages 16 to 29 who say the same.

Brown, Anna, and Eileen Patten. 2014. “Statistical Portrait of Hispanics in the United States, 2012: Table 9.” Washington, D.C.: Pew Research Center, April.

Hoffman, Judy, John Carlo Bertot, and Denise M. Davis. 2012. “Libraries Connect Communities: Public Library Funding & Technology Access Study 2011-2012.” Chicago: American Library Association, June.

Lopez, Mark Hugo, and Ana Gonzalez-Barrera. 2013. “A Growing Share of Latinos Get Their News in English.” Washington, D.C.: Pew Research Center, July.

Lopez, Mark Hugo, Ana Gonzalez-Barrera and Eileen Patten. 2013. “Closing the Digital Divide: Latinos and Technology Adoption.” Washington, D.C.: Pew Research Center, March.

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U.S. Census Bureau. 2014. 2013 Population Estimates. http://www.census.gov/popest/data/national/asrh/2013/index.html

Zickuhr, Kathryn, and Lee Rainie. 2014. “E-Reading Rises as Device Ownership Jumps: Three-in-ten adults read an e-book last year; half own a tablet or reader.” Washington, D.C.: Pew Research Center’s Internet and American Life Project, January.

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Zickuhr, Kathryn, Lee Rainie, Kristen Purcell, and Maeve Duggan. 2013. “How Americans Value Public Libraries in Their Communities.” Washington, D.C.: Pew Research Center, December.