A 1998 poll conducted by Gallup for the American Library Association found that nearly all respondents expect libraries to be needed in the future, despite the increased availability of information via computer. Americans spend more than three times as much on salty snacks as they do on public libraries. Americans check out an average of seven books a year. Public libraries are the number one point of online access for people without Internet connections at home, school or work. Research shows the highest achieving students attend schools with good library media centers.
College libraries receive less than three cents of every dollar spent on higher education.