How Librarians Decide What Services to Offer Adults: Evidence from a State-Wide Survey in Colorado

How do public libraries decide what services and programs to offer adults? This study considers how that decision-making process operates among public libraries in the U.S. state of Colorado. Based on a state-wide survey of public libraries, conducted in partnership with the Colorado State Library from September 2024 to May 2025, results show that both “community interest” and “resource constraints” strongly shape adult services and programs. Connecting libraries to adults emerged as a salient challenge to libraries, and survey respondents suggested they need more help aligning adult services and programs with community needs and interests.