Librarians' responses to “reading at risk”: A Delphi study

This study surveys librarians' reactions to the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) report on “Reading at Risk”. Using census data, the NEA concluded that there has been a drastic decline in “literary” reading and it is most sharply pronounced in the youngest group surveyed. To determine whether librarians' perceptions of reading, especially among youth, were consistent with the NEA findings, a Delphi study was conducted. Eleven youth library professionals and educators, identified as experts, responded to survey questions probing whether digital media impact leisure time reading for both adults and adolescents; whether reading is at risk; and whether the decline in literary reading foreshadows erosion in cultural and civic participation. Library experts tended to agree with the effects of digital media on leisure time reading for children. Experts were split on how digital media impact leisure time reading among adult readers. They were closely aligned against the assertion that participation in literary reading foreshadows participation in cultural and civic participation.