Book, a room: Why teens are flocking to public libraries

Libraries across the country are experiencing an unexpected surge in popularity among a cohort that once shunned them – teenagers.

The State Library of NSW is bracing for a 20 per cent-plus increase in students cramming for their final-year exams. It is adding extra seats and clearing all available space for a predicted influx of 215,000-plus readers in the coming weeks.

Library friends (left to right): William Ellis, Ava Pullen, Florence Bala-Milroy and Alice Grant.Credit: Wolter Peeters

That is 45,000 more than the 171,617 who walked through the library’s doors last September and October and 85,000 more than the number who came to study in the same period in 2023.

Meanwhile, the State Library Victoria is experiencing its own boom, with a 25 per cent increase in visitation in the past year – 37 per cent of those new visitors being in the 16–24 age bracket.

Melbourne’s City Library network has reported a 36 per cent increase in loans to older teenagers in the last four years. Last year it welcomed around 150 new members aged 16 to 18 years.

Why the surge in interest? Free internet connections, group study rooms, extended opening hours, printers, lockers, and reading rooms are all helping to shift libraries’ fusty reputation among young browsers who are looking for cheaper study alternatives than cafes and quieter spaces than they can find at home.

Book a table: year 12 students at State Library Victoria (left-right): Scarlet Russell, James Talbot, Mohamed Elhag, Ahmed Merhi and Haneef Abubaker.Credit: Eddie Jim

At State Library Victoria, one in five visitors now attends with a group of friends. “Libraries today are fostering community as much as learning, and young people are taking advantage of that,” says John Wicks, the library’s acting chief executive.

“With the rising cost of living, young people are increasingly turning to libraries for free access to resources, comfortable study spaces, and reliable technology,” Wicks adds.

“We’ve observed that young people are drawn to the State Library not only to study but also for the atmosphere and access to digital tools.”

Some libraries go all out at exam time to change perceptions. They stage yoga sessions to de-stress students, put on free webinars, and offer snacks, pizzas, and even head and shoulder massages.

NSW State Librarian Dr Caroline Butler-Bowdon says her reading rooms are full late into the night.

“I love to hear students referring to the State Library as simply ‘state’,” she says. “They clearly feel at home here, which means a great deal to me.”

At a time when students and their families are feeling a lot of pressure, the State Library of NSW provides a comfortable, safe, free place that is open when students need it, NSW Arts Minister John Graham says.

Acting chief executive for the State Library of Victoria, John Wicks. Credit: Eddie Jim

“The [State Library of NSW] is always open,” says 18-year-old Florence Bala-Milroy, a student at Sydney’s Blackwattle Bay Secondary College. “The late opening hours are a drawcard. There’s lots of space and I can always sit with someone I know.”

Bala-Milroy uses the message chat group “State Library Grind”. “I find it hard to focus on my own, I’m more motivated here,” she says. “You can chat to someone who does the same subject as you, whether they’re from your school or not. I feel at home here, know the people who work here and know where the resources are.”

Ava Pullen, 17, from Sydney’s Ascham School, has been coming to the state library after school on most days since the end of year 11.

“It’s really important during the Higher School Certificate to have a space outside of your home – your bedroom should be separate from your studies,” she says.

‘A wonderful space’

In Melbourne, high school student Haneef Abubaker has visited the State Library Victoria three days a week during the current school holidays. “It’s a wonderful space to study as it has many open facilities for different types of people including uni students, secondary students, and even children below the age of 10.”

Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore says her city’s libraries have seen an 18 per cent increase visitors since 2023.

No longer are they simply quiet spaces to house and read books. City of Sydney’s newest library, Darling Square, houses a “maker space” with 3D printers, precision drills, power tools, and equipment for designers, engineers, innovators and others to use. Meanwhile, Green Square offers natural light, a sunken garden and amphitheatre, comfortable study spaces, nooks for reading, private study rooms with screens and an Instagram-worthy rainbow wall.

“We have dedicated collections of interest to young people,” says Moore. “These include young adult fiction, young adult graphic novels, a high school collection with the latest study aides, a zine collection, online research and homework databases and ebooks and audiobooks.

“Members can also borrow musical instruments, games, retro consoles and maker kits.”

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