Study of the Impact of Children's Book-based Blockbuster Movies on Library Circulation

by Hendershot, Megan R.

This study analyzes circulation statistics gathered from five elementary school libraries in the Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill regions of North Carolina of five children’s books recently made into Blockbuster movies. The gathered circulation statistics were analyzed and graphed in regards to the book-based Blockbuster movies theatrical release date and mean number of checkouts.

The findings of this study show a correlation between the theatrical release of the book-based Blockbuster movie and the number of times the book is checked-out. The mean number of checkouts illustrate that more children check the book out immediately following the release of the book-based Blockbuster movie than they do before the movie’s theatrical release. As a result of data analysis, a trend illustrating the few months before the book-based Blockbuster movies theatrical release and immediately following the movie’s theatrical release there is a surge in the number of times the book is checked-out.