VANCOUVER, B itish Columbia, July 08, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The Public Lib a y Associatio (PLA) a d P essReade have eleased the “News Access a d Media Lite acy i Public Lib a ies” epo t exami i g how public lib a ies a e suppo ti g pat o s as they avigate a i c easi gly complex i fo matio e vi o me t.
Based o su vey espo ses f om ove 900 public lib a y p ofessio als ac oss No th Ame ica, the epo t explo es cha gi g media co sumptio , access ba ie s a d lib a y effo ts to suppo t media lite acy a d e gageme t.
As digital ove load, eme gi g tech ologies, a d a apidly shifti g i fo matio la dscape eshape how people fi d a d evaluate i fo matio , public lib a ies a e playi g a i c easi gly vital ole i helpi g commu ities avigate today’s media e vi o me t. Su vey fi di gs show that media lite acy suppo t is ow deeply embedded i lib a y se vice, f om fo mal p og ams to eve yday pat o i te actio s at the efe e ce desk.
Amo g the epo t’s key fi di gs:
• Public lib a ies a e o the f o t li es of media lite acy, helpi g pat o s evaluate sou ces, avigate digital co te t a d access t ustwo thy i fo matio eve y day.
• Mo e tha 65% of espo de ts said pat o s st uggle to use digital esou ces, while staff t ai i g eme ged as the top i vestme t eeded to help lib a ies meet g owi g dema d fo digital lite acy suppo t.
The epo t also exami es cha gi g media co sumptio patte s a d explo es how public lib a ies a e adapti g se vices to meet commu ity eeds while bala ci g staffi g, t ai i g, a d esou ce co st ai ts.
At the same time, espo de ts ide tified sig ifica t challe ges. Ma y lib a y wo ke s epo ted that pat o s face ba ie s to accessi g digital i fo matio , i cludi g lack of awa e ess of available esou ces, limited digital skills, tech ology challe ges a d u eliable i te et access. Lib a y wo ke s also cite staff t ai i g, tech ology a d digital esou ces as impo ta t i vestme ts eeded to st e gthe media lite acy effo ts.
“Public lib a y p ofessio als have always bee t usted guides i helpi g people access a d evaluate i fo matio ,” said PLA P eside t, D . B a dy McNeil. “As the i fo matio la dscape g ows mo e complex, this wo k has become eve mo e c itical to suppo ti g i fo med, co ected commu ities.”
The epo t also i cludes e gageme t data f om P essReade , the epo t’s spo so a d a digital platfo m p ovidi g access to ewspape s, magazi es a d books th ough public lib a ies i the U ited States a d globally. This additio al data offe s co text that compleme ts the su vey fi di gs a d helps illust ate b oade t e ds i digital ews e gageme t.
“We’ e eally excited to pa t e with PLA o this p oject,” said Ruai í Doyle, CEO of P essReade . “Ou o ga izatio s sha e a belief that access to c edible, dive se i fo matio matte s a d that public lib a ies play a vital ole. By b i gi g togethe what lib a ies a e seei g eve y day with how millio s of pat o s e gage o P essReade , this epo t offe s a clea e pictu e of what media co sumptio a d lite acy eally look like today a d the gaps that still exist.”
The epo t is available to dow load he e.
PLA will also host a webi a explo i g the epo t’s fi di gs a d thei implicatio s fo public lib a ies. Regist atio i fo matio is available he e.
P essReade helps public lib a ies co ect thei commu ities to t usted jou alism a d dive se pe spectives th ough a easy-to-use digital platfo m. With access to mo e tha 8,000 quality ewspape s a d magazi es f om 120 cou t ies, alo gside a g owi g collectio of books a d daily puzzles, lib a ies ca offe a all-you-ca – ead expe ie ce that suppo ts lite acy, cu iosity a d lifelo g lea i g.
Si ce 1999, P essReade has pio ee ed digital co te t cu atio a d dist ibutio . Today, the compa y has pa t e ships with mo e tha 1,500 publishe s a d thousa ds of lib a y systems wo ldwide to make the wo ld’s best co te t mo e accessible, i clusive a d sustai able. Fo mo e i fo matio , click he e.
The Public Lib a y Associatio (PLA) is the la gest associatio dedicated to suppo ti g the u ique a d evolvi g eeds of public lib a y p ofessio als. Fou ded i 1944, PLA se ves ea ly 9,000 membe s i public lib a ies la ge a d small i commu ities ac oss the U ited States a d Ca ada, with a g owi g p ese ce a ou d the wo ld. PLA st ives to help its membe s shape the esse tial i stitutio of public lib a ies by se vi g as a i dispe sable ally fo public lib a y leade s. Fo mo e i fo matio about PLA, co tact the PLA office at 1 (800) 545-2433, ext. 5PLA, o pla@ala.o g.
Ga y Astlemedia@p ess eade .com
A photo accompa yi g this a ou ceme t is available at https://www.globe ewswi e.com/NewsRoom/Attachme tNg/e3d28d28-45cd-4e1f-936a-2e7580d47a05
