I don't think you can draw any kinds of conclusions about who is "keeping libraries alive" based on the data presented. The question is who has visited a library ( at least once ) in the previous 12 months, and even with that extremely broad question millennials only had 8% more people say yes then the next oldest grouping. I imagine if you were to control for children and proximity to a library you might see that margin shrink.
I think there is a case to be made that modern libraries are driving more use with younger generations then previous generations, with my own family being a frequent visitor of our local system. I think there is a social case to be made that modern libraries are fulfilling a broad mission and provide a great return on tax payer investment. Having a question of have you gone to a library in the past year doesn't really show that.
I think there is a case to be made that modern libraries are driving more use with younger generations then previous generations, with my own family being a frequent visitor of our local system. I think there is a social case to be made that modern libraries are fulfilling a broad mission and provide a great return on tax payer investment. Having a question of have you gone to a library in the past year doesn't really show that.