Innovative Study by UPenn and NYPL Finds That Public Libraries Positively Impact Community Health and Well-Being

And while the research collected and analyzed in this study was specific to the New York Public Library, the researchers believe the study can be extended to other rural, urban, and suburban libraries across the country.

Daphna Blatt, NYPL’s senior director of strategy and social impact and one of the study’s participants, said that through the scientific method it is possible to confirm what many library enthusiasts have known for some time. Emphasizing the importance of this, he said:Library and welfare This study is an innovative study of how to apply a positive psychology framework to the library world, demonstrating that library use positively contributes to externally validated measures of well-being. This shows for the first time that there is. Our research shows that patrons experience refuge, joy, connection, purpose, and expansion through library use. ”