Download - The changing world of librarians
The changing world of librarians
Lee Rainie - @lrainie
Director
Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project
Presented to: DC/SLA Spring Workshop
April 24, 2013
2
“Tweckle (twek’ul) vt. To
abuse a speaker to Twitter
followers in the audience
while he/she is speaking.”
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we need a tshirt, "I survived the keynote
disaster of 09"
it's awesome in the "I don't want to turn
away from the accident because I might see
a severed head" way
too bad they took my utensils away w/ my
plate. I could have jammed the butter knife
into my temple.
3 tech revolutions
Digital Revolution 1: Broadband Internet (85%)
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
June 2000
April 2001
March 2002
March 2003
April 2004
March 2005
March 2006
March 2007
April 2008
April 2009
May 2010
Aug 2011
Dec 2012
Broadband at home
Dial-up at home
68%
3%
Networked creators and curators (among internet users)
• 69% are social networking site users
• 59% share photos and videos • 46% creators; 41% curators
• 37% contribute rankings and ratings
• 33% create content tags
• 30% share personal creations
• 26% post comments on sites and blogs
• 16% use Twitter
• 15% use Pinterest
• 14% are bloggers
• 13% use Instagram
• 6% use Tumblr
• 18% (of smartphone owners) share their locations; 74% get location info and do location sharing
Impact on librarians • Collections moved from atoms to bits
• More volume, velocity, and variety of information
• More self-starter searches; more complicated search and synthesis demanded of librarians
• Rise of “fifth estate” of civic and community actors
• More arguments in the culture – library “referees”?
• Collapsed contexts of messaging
Revolution 2: Mobile – 89% of adults 51% smartphones / 31% tablets
321.7
Total U.S. population: 315.5 million
2012
Apps > 50% of adults
22%
29%
38% 43%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
Sept 2009 May 2010 August 2011 April 2012
% of cell owners who have downloaded apps
• Attention zones change – “Continuous partial attention” – Deep dives – Info snacking
• Real-time, just-in-time searches and availability change process of acquiring and using information – Spontaneous activities – Be “ready for your closeup”
• Augmented reality highlights the merger of data world and real world
Impact on librarians
9%
49%
67%
76%
86% 87% 92%
7% 8%
25%
48%
61% 68% 73%
6% 4%
11%
25%
47%
49% 57%
1% 7%
13%
26%
29% 38%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
18-29 30-49 50-64 65+
Digital Revolution 3 Social networking – 59% of all adults
% of internet users
• Composition and character of people’s social networks changes AND networks become important channels of … – learning
– trust
– influence
• Organizations can become media companies themselves …
• … and “helper nodes” in people’s networks
Impact on organizations and their librarians
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 grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
libraries.pewinternet.org
First phase: The rise of e-reading Late 2011: 16% of American adults read an e-book in past year
Late 2012: 23%
---
Late 2011: 72% read a printed book
Late 2012: 67%
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30% of e-content readers say they are reading more now
Rise of e-reading devices
4%
12% 10%
19%
26%
3%
8% 10%
25%
31%
6%
17% 18%
33%
40%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
May-10 May-11 Dec-11 Nov-12 Jan-13
Ebook reader Tablet Has either tablet or Ebook reader
Mega Takeaway 1: People love their libraries even more for what they say about their communities
than for how libraries meet personal needs
• 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
/
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1a) Libraries stack up well vs. others How confident? How important?
63 28 Library to community
2) 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
Mega Takeaway 3: 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
Mega Takeaway 4: Libraries have a PR problem / opportunity
• 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
Mega Takeaway 5 : There is churn in library use that restocks the user base
Reasons library use INCREASED (26%)
Enjoy taking their children, grandchildren 26%
Do research and use reference materials 14%
Borrow books more 12%
Student 10%
Use library computers and internet 8%
Have more time to read now, retired 6%
To save money 6%
Good selection and variety 5%
E-books, audio books, media are available 5%
Convenient 5%
Reading more now 5%
Library events and activities 4%
Good library and helpful staff 3%
Quiet, relaxing time, social locale 2%
Use for my job 2%
Reasons library use DECREASED (22%)
Can get books, do research online and the internet is more convenient
40%
Library is not as useful because my children have grown, I'm retired, I'm no longer a student
16%
Too busy, no time 12%
Can't get to library, moved, don't know where library is
9%
Prefer e-books 6%
Prefer to buy books or get books from friends
5%
Not interested 4% Health issues 3% Don't read much these days 3% Don't like local library or staff 3% Children are too young 2%
Mega Takeaway 6: There is a truly detached population out there that matters to you
• 20% never saw a family member use a library when they were growing up
• 16% have never visited a library
• 23% didn’t read a book last 12 months
How you can help us
• Help us think through a study on “information omnivores” – Talks with Janice Lachance and Brent Mai
• Help think through a study on “information rich and information poor”
• Sign up to participate in our research (and
encourage your friends!): http://libraries.pewinternet.org/participate/
Libraries.pewinternet.org Lee Rainie Email: [email protected] Twitter: @Lrainie Kathryn Zickuhr Email: [email protected] Twitter: @kzickuhr
Kristen Purcell Email: @[email protected] Twitter: @kristenpurcell
