SIC 8231 Libraries

Encyclopedia of American Industries | 2005 | Copyright

SIC 8231
LIBRARIES

This category encompasses establishments primarily engaged in providing library services, including the circulation of books and other materials for reading, study, and reference. Establishments primarily engaged in operating motion picture film libraries are classified in SIC 7829: Services Allied to Motion Picture Distribution.

NAICS Code(s)

514120 (Libraries and Archives)

Industry Snapshot

During the early 2000s, 117,418 libraries provided services to the public and to specialized audiences. Libraries offer printed matter, electronic services, audio and video recordings, CD-ROM, lectures and similar adult programming, concerts, puppet shows, as well as reading hours for children, bookmobiles, and many other services.

In addition to public libraries (9,074), there are academic libraries at colleges and universities (3,658), school libraries (93,861), special libraries (9,170), armed forces libraries (329), government libraries (1,326), as well as corporate libraries and collections tailored to specific needs like hospitals, religious organizations, and museums.

Probably the most visible libraries are the public facilities located in communities across the country. Americans borrow more than 1.7 billion items each year from such libraries, which total 16,298 including branch libraries. In addition to books, Americans borrow magazines, sound recordings (both tape and CD-ROM), videotapes, DVDs, games, artwork, computer software, and other materials.

Of all adults over the age of 17, some 64 percent use public libraries. Similarly, almost 75 percent of children between the ages of three and nine visit a public library each year, and more than 40 million elementary and secondary school students use their school libraries each week.

Public library circulation in fiscal year 2000 reached 1.7 billion items, a per capita total of 6.4 per year. Total visits numbered 1.1 billion. According to a study commissioned by the American Library Association (ALA), a majority of the population (84 percent) is satisfied with public libraries. In addition, more than half believe funding in support of libraries should be increased.

Public, academic, and special libraries alike face great challenges. Libraries usually are the first to bear the brunt of budget cuts, whether in the public domain, at universities, or in corporations, despite their importance to users. Struggling to keep up with rapidly evolving, costly, yet necessary technology, while striving to operate within budgets, libraries find themselves walking an increasingly fine line.

In recent years, library budget cuts have received widespread press coverage. Libraries also have begun purchasing greater proportions of new content in digital format. Nonetheless, overall these institutions remain an attractive market to book publishers. Libraries continue to purchase more diversified materials in order to keep up with the demand for information. In an effort to economize and make the most of existing funds, many institutions participate in cooperative arrangements known as interlibrary loan systems. Such programs enable school, public, and academic libraries to borrow materials from other libraries nationwide. As more libraries computerize their holdings, these arrangements will increase and sharing will become faster,...

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