Reeling 'em in: who attends library events?

In my last post, I mentioned the wildly eclectic mix of events that DPL offers as part of its humanities series, ranging from the typical book signings to the really quite bizarre. Who attends these events?

My guess-which is entirely unfounded-is that many of the attendees would be older individuals. My paternal grandmother constantly attends events and lectures at her local library, and I rather imagine that many of her peers do the same. It's a great opportunity for them to socialize and to learn something new. I also suspect that it's the older demographic that would be the most interested in the local history events which the library offers up in droves, as they are the ones who probably remember those events actually occurring.

But what about the young demographic? I can't remember the last time I attended a library-sponsored event, which, given my program, is a little sad. If I, the sort of young adult who would be most likely to attend these events, am not going to them, then who, exactly, is? It's a bit of an awkward age group. The library has plenty of events for children and teenagers, and an equal number that might appeal to senior citizens, but not as much for the twenty-, thirty-somethings. We ran into this problem with my 23-year-old brother Michael, who is autistic. I contacted his local library to see if they offered events for someone of his age and capabilities, and the response was discouraging. It's definitely an overlooked demographic.

Of course, I could be entirely wrong. While working on the blurbs for the upcoming humanities brochure, I often find myself thinking of my peers and saying "Oh, I should tell so-and-so about this event; they'd think it was really interesting." Actually, I intend to ask Joanne or Gina if they can run me off some extra fliers for an August discussion panel on game design. I have an unusual number of friends who are interested in board game design and, having mentioned this event to them in passing, they all seemed quite excited and said that they would certainly attend. Perhaps my generation has a vested interest in library events as well. It's an encouraging thought, and it may have something to do with the area.

I'm not sure about other regions of the country, but I'd imagine that libraries in the Triangle have just about the best turn-out rate for their events. The area's major universities mean that the DPL has not only a host of potential speakers, but also a community of educated folks both young and old, eager to learn something new. I think that the marketing division is well aware of this and therefore tailors the list of events to appeal to the widest number of people. Where else could you find zombies, civil rights, and Islamic mystic poetry living side by side?

Next time: how does the library go about selecting their events?