During the recent pandemic, library patrons across the country indulged their reading habits by using their library’s online services. In other words, they checked out e-books and read them with their electronic devices.
However, a recent survey by the Pew Research Center found that print books still maintain a strong edge for readers and are likely to remain popular for quite some time.
According to the Pew survey:
- 72% of U.S. adults read a book in some format over the past year
- 65% of respondents read a book in the past 12 months
- 37% of Americans read print books
- 28% read both print books and e-books
- 7% only read e-books
Other interesting statistics:
- Print books outsell e-books by a 4 to 1 margin.
- 191 million e-books were sold in the United States in 2020.
- Printed book sales amounted to 750.89 million units in 2020.
- Print book sales increased 13.2% between 2020 and 2021, and 21% between 2019 and 2021.
- E-book sales grew by 22% in 2020.
- E-book sales have decreased 8% in 2021 but are still 8% higher than they were in 2019.
- In 2020, 19% of adult readers owned an e-reader, a decrease from 32% of adult readers who owned e-readers in 2014.
The Jefferson Parish Library has more than 660,000 books in its 16 libraries.
TREE CLINIC: Chris Dunaway, Jefferson Parish extension agent with the LSU AgCenter, will present “Tree Care Tips and Techniques” at 7 p.m. March 23, at the West Bank Regional Library, 2751 Manhattan Blvd., Harvey.
Dunaway will discuss choosing the right kind of tree, selecting a healthy tree, planting the tree, proper mulching, watering and pruning.
GREAT BOOKS: The members of the Great Books Discussion Group, which meets the third Tuesday of each month at the East Bank Regional Library, 4747 W. Napoleon Ave., Metairie, have announced the books to be read for the remainder of the year. They are:
- March 15 — “The Murder of Roger Ackroyd” by Agatha Christie
- April 19 — “A Tale of Two Cities” by Charles Dickens
- May 17 — “Never Let Me Go” by Kazuo Ishiguro
- June 21 — “How Green Was My Valley” by Richard Llewellyn
- July 19 — “Man in the High Castle” by Philip K. Dick
- Aug. 16 — “American Pastoral” by Philip Roth
- Sept. 20 — “The White Hotel” by DM Thomas
- Oct. 18 — “The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe” by CS Lewis
- Nov. 15 — “Alice in Wonderland” by Lewis Carroll
- Dec. 20 — “Look Homeward, Angel” by Thomas Wolfe
The group is free and open to the public.
BOATING SAFETY: The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries will conduct a boating safety class from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. March 19 at the River Ridge Library, 8825 Jefferson Highway, River Ridge. The class lasts between six and eight hours. Preregistration is not required but is recommended by going to the department’s website.
The course includes information on choosing a boat, classification, hulls, motors, legal requirements and equipment requirements, navigation rules, trailering, sailboats, and related subjects that include canoeing, personal watercraft and more. Students who complete the course will be issued a vessel operators certification card.
COMPUTER CLASSES: Receive free computer training at the East Bank Regional Library, 4747 W. Napoleon Ave., Metairie, and at the West Bank Regional Library, 2751 Manhattan Blvd., Harvey.
Seating is limited, and online registration is required. Visit the Computer Classes page at www.jplibrary.net/training and click “East Bank Regional Schedule” or “West Bank Regional Schedule.”
Upcoming Metairie classes include:
- Introduction to the internet — 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. March 16.
- Microsoft Word 1 — 10 a.m. to noon March 18.
- Microsoft Excel 3 — 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. March 21.
- 3D Printing — 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. March 21.
- Microsoft Word 1 — 10 a.m. to noon March 23.
- Microsoft Word 2 — 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. March 23.
- Basic Computer — 10 a.m. to noon March 24.
- One-on-One Training — 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. March 24.
- One-on-One Training — 10 a.m. to noon March 29.
- One-on-One Training — 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. March 29.
- Beginner Computer — 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. March 31.
Upcoming Harvey classes include:
- Microsoft Word 1 — 10 a.m. to noon March 18.
- Microsoft Word 2 — 10 a.m. to noon March 25.
- Microsoft Excel 1 — 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. March 25.
- Beginner Computer — 10 a.m. to noon March 26.
- Microsoft Word 1 — 10 a.m. to noon March 28.
- Microsoft Word 2 — 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. March 28.
Chris Smith is manager of adult programming at the Jefferson Parish Public Library.
