Popula: “… public sentiment towards these two systems differs by a huge margin. Close to 80% of adult Americans think “libraries provide them with the resources they need,” according to a survey published by the Pew Research Center in 2016; findings published by Pew in 2017 showed that a whopping 78% of adults felt that “public libraries help them find information that is trustworthy and reliable” and 56% said that “libraries help them get information that aids with decisions they have to make.” Among adults, millennials were libraries’ biggest fans: in a separate article published by Pew in 2017, millennials were reported to have used libraries “more than any other adult generation” over the previous year. By contrast, people absolutely hate the media. According to Gallup data published in 2022, “Americans’ trust in the mass media to report the news ‘full, accurately, and fairly’” was at a near-record low of 34%, with just 7% having “a great deal” of trust and confidence in the media. A striking Gallup study of confidence in 16 US institutions found newspapers in 12th place, and television news 15th—only Congress fared worse.  So when I heard, some months ago, that Albany Public Libraries (APL) had partnered with the city’s local paper, the Times Union, to produce a series of articles, I wanted to learn more about it…”

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