Transcript Slide 1

Public libraries in the digital age
Kathryn Zickuhr and Mary Madden
Pew Internet & American Life Project
Presented to: Chief Officers of State Library Agencies
Spring Meeting
April 25, 2012
About Pew Internet
• Part of the Pew Research
Center, a non-partisan “fact
tank” in Washington, DC
• Studies how people use
digital technologies
• Does not promote specific
technologies or make policy
recommendations
pewinternet.org
• Research is primarily based
on nationally representative
telephone surveys of adults
About our libraries research
• Goal: To study the changing role of public
libraries and library users in the digital age
• Funded by a three-year, $1.4 million grant
from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
libraries.pewinternet.org
RESEARCH TIMELINE
Stage I (August 2011-July 2012)
Libraries + new technologies
• The Rise of E-Reading - Published
– Includes special focus on reading habits of people who own
e-readers or tablet computers
• E-books and libraries - June 2012
– Will include stories and quotes from online surveys of library
staff and patrons (in the field now)
• Library use in different community types
• The habits of younger library users
RESEARCH TIMELINE
Stage II (May-November 2012)
The changing world of library services
• The evolving role of libraries in communities
– New library services
– People’s expectations of libraries
– “The library of the future”
• The role of libraries in the life of special populations
– Lower-income users, minorities, rural residents, senior
citizens
RESEARCH TIMELINE
Stage III (September 2012–April 2013)
A typology of who does – and does not – use libraries
• A “library user” typology
– Different user “types” based on:
• What their local libraries are like
• How they use libraries
• Attitudes about libraries in general
• An updated, in-depth portrait of young library users
What we have done so far…
First report: The rise of e-reading
21% of American
adults read an e-book
in the last year
68% read a print book
11% listened to an
audiobook
The book format used by readers on
any given day is changing
% of adult book readers (age 18+) using this format on an average day, as
of June 2010 and December 2011
Who are the readers behind the screens?
Readers of e-books are more likely
than other readers to be:
• Under age 50
• College educated
• Living in households earning $50K+
Other key characteristics:
• They read more books, more often,
and for a wider range of reasons
• More likely to buy than borrow
How e-readers read their e-books
% of all Americans age 16 and older who read an e-book in the past
12 months, as of December 2011
How device owners read their e-books
% of owners of each device who read e-books on that device
* = among people who own that device
The contours of the gadget landscape
29% of US adults own a
specialized device for ereading (either a tablet or
an e-reader)
– 19% of adults own an
e-book reader
– 19% of adults own a
tablet computer
What kind of e-reader do you own?
% of American adult e-reader owners age 18+ who own each type of
e-book reader
What kind of tablet computer do you own?
% of American adult tablet owners age 18+ who own each type of
tablet computer
What is the main reason you do not
currently have an e-reader?
% of American adults age 16+ who do not own an e-book reader, as of December 2011
Just don't need one/don’t want one
Cost/can’t afford it
Prefer books/print
Don’t read/no time to read
Don’t know what an e-reader is
Don’t want to learn tech/don’t know how to use it
Have enough other devices/use other devices
Plan to get one/waiting for better features
Have iPad/tablet
Lack of time in general
I’m too old
Vision/health problems
Other
24%
19
16
10
5
4
3
3
3
2
2
<1
3
Don’t know/refused
5
Dec. 2011 results are from a survey of 2,986 people age 16 and older conducted November 16-December 21,
2011. The survey was conducted in English and Spanish and on landline and call phones. The margin of error is +/2 percentage points. N for number of non-owners of e-reading devices=2,290.
What is the main reason you do not
currently have a tablet computer?
% of American adults age 16+ who do not own a tablet computer, as of December 2011
Just don't need one/don’t want one
Cost/can’t afford it
Have enough devices/happy with current devices
Don’t want to learn tech/don’t know how to use it
Don’t know what a tablet computer is
Plan to get one/waiting for better features
I’m too old
Lack of time in general
Don’t read/no time to read
Vision/health problems
Prefer books/print
Prefer to use library
Other
Don’t know/refused
35%
25
20
7
2
2
2
1
<1
<1
<1
<1
2
3
Dec. 2011 results are from a survey of 2,986 people age 16 and older conducted November 16-December 21,
2011. The survey was conducted in English and Spanish and on landline and call phones. The margin of error is
+/- 2 percentage points. N for number of non-owners of e-reading devices=2,290.
Which is better for these purposes, a printed
book or an e-book?
% of Americans 16+ who have read both e-books and print books in the last 12 months
When you want to read a particular
e-book, where do you look first?
% of readers of e-books age 16+, as of December 2011
Additional takeaways for librarians
• The gadget doesn’t make the
reader, but it may change the
reader
• 41% of tablet owners and 35%
of e-reader owners said they
were reading more since the
advent of e-content
• A majority of print readers
(54%) and e-book readers
(61%) prefer to purchase their
own copies of these books;
most audiobook listeners
(61%) prefer to borrow their
audiobooks
WHAT’S NEXT
Online surveys: E-books and libraries
• Two surveys:
1. Patrons who check out e-books
2. Staff at libraries that lend out e-books
• Online surveys = Stories, not statistics
• Focusing on public libraries in the U.S.
• In the field now; surveys will be open until
Friday, May 18th
WHAT’S NEXT
Online surveys: E-books and libraries
• Patrons survey – Please share!
– http://bit.ly/pewebooksurvey
– No password
• Librarian survey – Please take!
– http://bit.ly/pewlibrarian
– Email Kathryn at [email protected]
for password
Thank you!
Kathryn Zickuhr
Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @kzickuhr
Mary Madden
Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @mary_madden
libraries.pewinternet.org