Transcript Reinventing of Libraries The keys to the future in 7 questions Lee Rainie - @lrainie Director Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project Presented.

Reinventing of Libraries
The keys to the future in 7 questions
Lee Rainie - @lrainie
Director
Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project
Presented to: Massachusetts Library System
June 13, 2013
“Tell the truth, and trust the people”
-- Joseph N. Pew, Jr.
http://bit.ly/dUvWe3
http://bit.ly/100qMub
The big questions
1. What’s the future of knowledge?
2. What’s the future of reference
expertise?
3. What’s the future of public technology?
4. What’s the future of learning spaces?
5. What’s the future of community anchor
institutions?
6. What’s the franchise?
Q7: Where do we fit on the dashboard?
ALA’s “Confronting the Future”
Totally physical
(facilities and media)
Individual focus
Collection library
(physical and virtual)
Portal
Everything for
everyone
Totally virtual
(facilities and media)
Community focus
Creation library
(social, maker space)
Archive
Specialized niche
5 big reasons your foundation is solid
1) Libraries are appreciated
91% say libraries are
important to their
communities
76% say libraries are
important to them and
their families
Robert Dawson photography - Library Road Trip
http://www.robertdawson.com/pages/1/Public%20Library%3a%20An%20American%20Commons/Public%20Library%3a%20An%20American%20Commons
/
2) Libraries stack up well vs. others
How confident? How important?
Library to community
63
28
7
3) People like librarians
• 98% of “ever” library visitors say interactions are “very positive”
• 81% of library visitors say librarians are “very helpful”
• 50% of “last year” visitors got help from a librarian
4) Libraries have rebranded
themselves as tech hubs
80% of Americans say
borrowing books is a
“very important” service
libraries provide
80% say reference librarians
are a “very important”
service
77% say free access to
computers and the
internet is a “very
important” service
76% say quiet study spaces
are a “very important”
service
Sidebar on tech adoption
Broadband (68%)/ Internet (85%)
3%
Sidebar on tech adoption
Mobile – 91% … smartphone 56% … tablets 34%
326.4
Total U.S.
population:
319 million
2012
Sidebar on tech adoption
Social networking – 61% of all adults
18-29
30-49
50-64
65+
100%
72% of internet users
67%
68%
61%
60%
49%
48%
49%
73%
57%
47%
40%
25%
0%
92%
76%
80%
20%
87%
86%
9%
7%
6%
2005
8%
4%
1%
2006
11%
7%
2007
2008
25%
29%
38%
26%
13%
2009
2010
2011
2012
SNS Users
Which groups are most likely?
• Internet users under 50
• 18-29 most likely of any demographic
cohort (83%)
• Women
• Urban more likely than rural
Facebook Users
• Facebook remains the
most-used SNS platform –
two-thirds of online adults
are Facebook users (67%)
Which groups are most likely?
• Women
• Those under 50, especially 18-29
Twitter Users
• 16% of internet users
are on Twitter
this has doubled since Nov. 2010
Which groups are most likely?
• Those under 50, especially 18-29
• African-Americans are more likely
than whites
• Urban-dwellers
Pinterest Users
• 15% of internet users
are on Pinterest
Which groups are most likely?
• Whites
• Under 50 – 18-29 do not stand out
• Well-educated
• Higher Income
• Women - 5x more likely than men
Instagram Users
• 13% of internet users are
on Instagram
Which groups are most likely?
• Women
• Those under 50, especially 18-29
• African-Americans and Hispanics
more likely than whites
• Urban-dwellers
Tumblr Users
• Just 6% of internet users
are on Tumblr
Which groups are most likely?
• Those 18-29 (13%)
5) Reading is alive and well
75% of those ages 16 and older read a book in the previous
year, including 23% who read an e-book
15 is the mean/average number of books read in past 12
months and median/midpoint is 6
24 is mean/average for e-book readers
30% of e-content consumers who are reading more now
because e-content is available 41% for tablet owners
5% of those 16+ have borrowed an e-book from a library – and
they are book buyers, too!
1 big PR problem that is not hard to fix
Answer the Marvin Gaye question
• 22% say that they know all or most of the services
their libraries offer
• 46% say they know some of what their libraries offer
• 31% said they know not much or nothing at all of
what their libraries offer
How to fix: Go to already-affectionate publics
100%
80%
23%
22%
60%
40%
75%
38%
31%
76%
84%
91%
53%
20%
0%
Used library last Read a book in
Library is
12 months past 12 months important to
me/family
Ever visited
library
Library is
important to
community
What they want you to do
Should definitely do
Should maybe do
Should definitely not do
Coordinate more closely with local schools in
providing resources to kids
85%
11% 2%
Offer free early literacy programs to help
young children prepare for school
82%
0%
20%
40%
14%
60%
80%
3%
100%
Should definitely do
Should maybe do
Should definitely not do
Separate spaces for different services
61%
27%
9%
More comfortable spaces for reading, working, relaxing
59%
28%
9%
Offer a broader selection of e-books
53%
0%
20%
30%
40%
60%
5%
80%
100%
Should definitely do
Should maybe do
Should definitely not do
Offer more interactive learning experiences similar to museums
47%
38%
12%
Help users digitize material such as family photos / historical documents
43%
39%
14%
Move most library services online so users can access them
without having to visit library
42%
34%
19%
Make most services automated, so people can find what they need and
check out material on their own without help from staff
41%
0%
20%
36%
40%
60%
20%
80%
100%
Move some print books and stacks out of
public locations to free up more space for
things such as tech centers, reading rooms,
meetings rooms, and cultural events
Should definitely do
20%
0%
Should maybe do
39%
20%
40%
Should definitely not do
36%
60%
80%
100%
What they say they’d use
Very likely
Somewhat likely
Not too likely or not at all likely
Online research service – “ask a librarian”
37%
36%
26%
Cell app to use to access library services
35%
28%
35%
A tech “petting zoo” to try out new stuff
35%
34%
29%
Cell GPS app to navigate library
34%
28%
36%
Kiosks (“Redbox”) around town for lib. checkouts
33%
30%
35%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Very likely
Somewhat likely
Not too likely or not at all likely
Personalize, Amazon-style recommendations
29%
35%
34%
Classes on how to download e-books
28%
29%
41%
Pre-loaded e-book readers
26%
32%
39%
Digital media lab to digitize personal material
26%
32%
40%
Instruction on how to use e-reading devices
23%
0%
28%
20%
40%
48%
60%
80%
100%
Be not
afraid
Libraries.pewinternet.org
Lee Rainie
Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @Lrainie
Kathryn Zickuhr
Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @kzickuhr
Kristen Purcell
Email: @[email protected]
Twitter: @kristenpurcell
Further thoughts on the big questions
Q1: What is the future of
knowledge?
• How is it created?
• What are its interfaces?
• How is it disseminated?
Homework: Too Big To Know
David Weinberger
Q2: What is the future of
reference expertise?
• How do you search for information?
• How do you aggregate / curate it?
• What new literacies are required to
understand it?
Homework: http://searchengineland.com/
Danny Sullivan & Co.
Q3: What is the future of public
technology
• What is the future of knowledge access
points?
• What divides persist / emerge?
• What lending models are enabled in a new
era of property / subscription / sharing?
Homework: Confronting the Future: Strategic Visions for
the 21st Century Public Library
Roger Levien
Q4: What is the future of
learning spaces
• What fosters collaboration? Creativity?
Problem solving?
• What is the role of solitude and quiet spaces?
• What other alliances can you strike with
institutions that share your goals about
providing key information to your community?
Homework: A New Culture of Learning
Douglas Thomas & John Seely Brown
Q5: What is the future of
community anchor institutions
• Does local matter?
• What does our community need?
Homework: Informing Communities:
Sustaining Democracy in the Digital Age
Knight Commission on the Information
Needs of Communities
Q6: What’s the franchise?
• What’s the commodity?
Homework: The Innovators Dilemma
The Innovators Solution
Clayton Christensen, Michael Raynor