A Study of Reading and Library Use among Nobel Laureates

This study, conducted in nine languages, sought to examine the library use and reading habits of eminent individuals. All living Nobel Laureates were identified and asked to provide information about their childhood interests and habits and also those which characterize their adult careers. The respondents indicated that they enjoyed reading as children, and many relied on library services to provide them with most of the materials they read. The Laureates who grew up in the United States had more access to library services, made more use of libraries as children, and felt competent to use libraries at earlier ages than did many of their counterparts growing up outside this country. The reading habits of their childhood seem to persist into adulthood more predictably than their library use patterns, or for that matter their involvement in other leisure activities.