https://doi.org/10.1177/0961000617709057 Journal of Librarianship and Information Science 2019, Vol. 51(2) 307–316 © The Author(s) 2017 Article reuse guidelines: sagepub.com/journals-permissions DOI: 10.1177/0961000617709057 journals.sagepub.com/home/lis Introduction More than a decade ago, Virginia Walter (2003) made an argument for a ramped-up research agenda focused on investigating public library service to children and teens. The study reported in this paper connects research to prac- tice, one of the themes that emerged from a recent Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) focus session (Hill et al., 2015), and addresses one of the significant gaps identified by Walter: why policymakers should fund public library services for children and young adults (YAs). Through manipulation and analysis of data collected through the IMLS Public Library Survey (IMLS-PLS), this study examines the relationships between the expenditures, resources, and programming that libraries devote to meet the needs of children and YAs, and the actual use of the public library by children and YAs. This study takes into account traditional expenditures and resources, such as print material budgets, but also exam- ines “other material” expenditures that are required to transform libraries into informal learning spaces The relationships between the expenditures and resources of public libraries and children’s and young adults’ use: An exploratory analysis of Institute of Museum and Library Services public library statistics data Soohyung Joo University of Kentucky, USA Maria Cahill University of Kentucky, USA Abstract Children’s librarians have long recognized the value of libraries for the development of children and adolescents and have championed for appropriate funding to support programs and services targeted to children, adolescents, and families. Using data from the Institute of Museum and Library Services National Public Library Survey, this study examined the relationships between the expenditures and resources of public libraries and children’s and young adults’ use. Three groups of variables were chosen from the dataset to represent expenditures, resources, and children’s and young adults’ library use respectively. Correlation analysis results reveal that most of the expenditures and resources variables were significantly correlated with children’s and young adults’ library use in libraries of all sizes. Further, analyses of material circulation and program attendance rates reveal that children’s materials account for more than one- third of total library material circulations and 70% of public library program participants attend programs designed for children. The findings of this study provide empirical evidence to support the investment in library resources and services for children and young adults and are discussed in light of expansion of library services and programming focused on informal learning. Keywords Children, Institute of Museum and Library Services, library resources, public library, young adults Corresponding author: Soohyung Joo, University of Kentucky, 320 Little Library, Lexington, KY 40506, USA. Email: soohyung.joo@uky.edu 709057LIS 0 0 10.1177/0961000617709057Journal of Librarianship and Information ScienceJoo and Cahill research-article 2017 Article