From the Pew Internet and American Life Project
Library Services in the Digital Age
Patrons embrace new technologies – and would welcome more. But many still want printed books to hold their central place
Summary of findings
The internet has already had a major impact on how people find and
access information, and now the rising popularity of e-books is helping
transform
Americans’ reading habits. In this changing landscape, public libraries
are trying to adjust their services to these new realities while still
serving the needs of patrons who rely on more traditional resources. In a
new survey of Americans’ attitudes and expectations for public
libraries, the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life
Project finds that many library patrons are eager to see libraries’
digital services expand, yet also feel that print books remain important
in the digital age.
The availability of free computers and internet access now rivals
book lending and reference expertise as a vital service of libraries. In
a national survey of Americans ages 16 and older:
- 80% of Americans say borrowing books is a “very important” service libraries provide.
- 80% say reference librarians are a “very important” service of libraries.
- 77% say free access to computers and the internet is a “very important” service of libraries.
Moreover, a notable share of Americans say they would embrace even wider uses of technology at libraries such as:
- Online research services allowing patrons to pose questions and get answers from librarians:
37% of Americans ages 16 and older would “very likely” use an “ask a
librarian” type of service, and another 36% say they would be “somewhat
likely” to do so.
- Apps-based access to library materials and programs:
35% of Americans ages 16 and older would “very likely” use that service
and another 28% say they would be “somewhat likely” to do so.
- Access to technology “petting zoos” to try out new devices:
35% of Americans ages 16 and older would “very likely” use that service
and another 34% say they would be “somewhat likely” to do so.
- GPS-navigation apps to help patrons locate material inside library buildings:
34% of Americans ages 16 and older would “very likely” use that service
and another 28% say they would be “somewhat likely” to do so.
- “Redbox”-style lending machines or kiosks located throughout
the community where people can check out books, movies or music without
having to go to the library itself: 33% of Americans ages 16
and older would “very likely” use that service and another 30% say they
would be “somewhat likely” to do so.
- “Amazon”-style customized book/audio/video recommendation schemes that are based on patrons’ prior library behavior:
29% of Americans ages 16 and older would “very likely” use that service
and another 35% say they would be “somewhat likely” to do so.
When Pew Internet asked the library staff members in an online panel
about these services, the three that were most popular were classes on
e-borrowing, classes on how to use handheld reading devices, and online
“ask a librarian” research services. Many librarians said that their
libraries were already offering these resources in various forms, due to
demand from their communities.
These are some of the key findings from a new national survey of
2,252 Americans ages 16 and older by the Pew Research Center’s Internet
& American Life Project and underwritten by a grant from the Bill
& Melinda Gates Foundation. The interviews were conducted on October
15-November 10, 2012 and done on cell phone and landlines and in
English and Spanish.
Public priorities for libraries
Asked for their thoughts on which services libraries should offer to
the public, majorities of Americans are strongly in favor of:
- Coordinating more closely with local schools: 85% of Americans ages 16 and older say libraries should “definitely” do this.
- Offering free literacy programs to help young children: 82% of Americans ages 16 and older say libraries should “definitely do” this.
- Having more comfortable spaces for reading, working, and relaxing: 59% of Americans ages 16 and older say libraries should “definitely do” this.
- Offering a broader selection of e-books: 53% of Americans ages 16 and older say libraries should “definitely do” this.
These services were also most popular with the library staff members
in our online panel, many of whom said that their library had either
already implemented them or should “definitely” implement them in the
future.
At the same time, people have different views about whether
libraries
should move some printed books and stacks out of public locations to
free up space for tech centers, reading rooms, meeting rooms, and
cultural events: 20% of Americans ages 16 and older said
libraries should “definitely” make those changes; 39% said libraries
“maybe” should do that; and 36% said libraries should “definitely not”
change by moving books out of public spaces.
Americans say libraries are important to their families and their
communities, but often do not know all the services libraries offer
Fully 91% of Americans ages 16 and older say public libraries are
important to their communities; and 76% say libraries are important to
them and their families. And libraries are touchpoints in their
communities for the vast majority of Americans: 84% of Americans ages 16
and older have been to a library or bookmobile at some point in their
lives and 77% say they remember someone else in their family using
public libraries as they were growing up.
Still, just 22% say that they know all or most of the services their
libraries offer now. Another 46% say they know some of what their
libraries offer and 31% said they know not much or nothing at all of
what their libraries offer.
Changes in library use in recent years
In the past 12 months, 53% of Americans ages 16 and older visited a
library or bookmobile; 25% visited a library website; and 13% used a
handheld device
such as a smartphone or tablet computer to access a library website.
All told, 59% of Americans ages 16 and older had at least one of those
kinds of interactions with their public library in the past 12 months.
Throughout this report we call them
“recent library users” and some of our analysis is based on what they do at libraries and library websites.
Overall, 52% of recent library users say their use of the library in
the past five years has not changed to any great extent. At the same
time, 26% of recent library users say their library use has increased
and 22% say their use has decreased. The table below highlights their
answers about why their library use changed:
How people use libraries
Of the 53% of Americans who visited a library or bookmobile in person
in the past 12 months, here are the activities they say they do at the
library:
- 73% of library patrons in the past 12 months say they visit to browse the shelves for books or media.
- 73% say they visit to borrow print books.
- 54% say they visit to research topics that interest them.
- 50% say they visit to get help from a librarian.
Asked how often they get help from library staff in such things as
answering research questions, 31% of library patrons in the past 12
months say they frequently get help, 39% say they sometimes get help,
23% say they hardly ever get help, and 7% say they never get help.
- 49% say they visit to sit, read, and study, or watch or listen to media.
- 46% say they visit to use a research database.
- 41% say they visit to attend or bring a younger person to a class, program, or event designed for children or teens.
- 40% say they visit to borrow a DVD or videotape of a movie or TV show.
- 31% say they visit to read or check out printed magazines or newspapers.
- 23% say they visit to attend a meeting of a group to which they belong.
- 21% say they visit to attend a class, program, or lecture for adults.
- 17% say they visit to borrow or download an audio book.
- 16% say they visit to borrow a music CD.
Internet use at libraries
Some 26% of Americans ages 16 and older say they used the computers
there or the WiFi connection to go online. Here’s what they did on that
free internet access:
- 66% of those who used the internet at a library in the past 12 months did research for school or work.
- 63% say they browsed the internet for fun or to pass the time.
- 54% say they used email.
- 47% say they got health information.
- 41% say they visited government websites or got information about government services.
- 36% say they looked for jobs or applied for jobs online.
- 35% say they visited social networking sites.
- 26% say they downloaded or watched online video.
- 16% say they bought a product online.
- 16% say they paid bills or did online banking.
- 16% say they took an online class or completed an online certification program.
Additionally, some 36% of those who had ever visited a library say
the library staff had helped them use a computer or the internet at a
library.
African-Americans and Hispanics are especially tied to their libraries and eager to see new services
Compared to whites, African-Americans and Hispanics are
more likely to
say libraries are important to them and their families, to say
libraries are important to their communities, to access the internet at
the library (and feel internet access is a very important service
libraries provide), to use library internet access to hunt/apply for
jobs, and to visit libraries just to sit and read or study.
For almost all of the library resources we asked about,
African-Americans and Hispanics are significantly more likely than
whites to consider them “very important” to the community. That
includes: reference librarians, free access to computers/internet, quiet
study spaces, research resources, jobs and careers resources, free
events, and free meeting spaces.
When it comes to future services, African-Americans and Hispanics are
more likely than whites to support segregating library spaces for
different services, having more comfortable spaces for reading, working
and relaxing, offering more learning experiences similar to museum
exhibits, helping users digitize material such as family photos or
historical documents.
Also, minorities are more likely than whites to say they would use these new services specified in the charts below.
Statistical analysis that controls for a variety of demographic
factors such as income, educational attainment, and age shows that race
and ethnicity are significant independent predictors of people’s
attitudes about the role of libraries in communities, about current
library services, and about their likely use of the future library
services we queried.
In addition, African-Americans are more likely than whites to say
they have “very positive” experiences at libraries, to visit libraries
to get help from a librarian, to bring children or grandchildren to
library programs.
About this research
This report explores the changing world of library services by
exploring the activities at libraries that are already in transition and
the kinds of services citizens would like to see if they could redesign
libraries themselves. It is part of
a larger research effort
by the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project that
is exploring the role libraries play in people’s lives and in their
communities. The research is underwritten by the Bill & Melinda
Gates Foundation.
This report contains findings from a survey of 2,252 Americans ages
16 and above between October 15 and November 10, 2012. The surveys were
administered on half on landline phones and half on cellphones and were
conducted in English and Spanish. The margin of error for the full
survey is plus or minus 2.3 percentage points.
There were several long lists of activities and services in the phone
survey. In many cases, we asked half the respondents about one set of
activities and the other half of the respondents were asked about a
different set of activities. These findings are representative of the
population ages 16 and above, but it is important to note that the
margin of error rises when only a portion of respondents is asked a
question.
There are also findings in this report that come from an online panel
canvassing of librarians who have volunteered to participate in Pew
Internet surveys. Some 2,067 library staff members participated in the
online canvassing that took place between December 17 and December 27,
2012. No statistical results from that canvassing are reported here
because it was an opt-in opportunity meant to draw out comments from
patrons and librarians, and the findings are not part of a
representative, probability sample. Instead, we highlight librarians’
written answers to open-ended questions that illustrate how they are
thinking about and implementing new library services.
In addition, we quote librarians and library patrons who participated
in focus groups in-person and online that were devoted to discussions
about library services and the future of libraries. One batch of
in-person focus groups was conducted in Chicago on September 19-20.
Other focus groups were conducted in Denver on October 3-4 and in
Charlotte, N.C. on December 11-12. Some 2,067 library staff members
participated in the online panel.
Acknowledgements
About Pew Internet
The Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project
is an initiative of the Pew Research Center, a nonprofit “fact tank”
that provides information on the issues, attitudes, and trends shaping
America and the world. The Pew Internet Project explores the impact of
the internet on children, families, communities, the work place,
schools, health care and civic/political life. The Project is
nonpartisan and takes no position on policy issues. Support for the
Project is provided by The Pew Charitable Trusts. More information is
available at
pewinternet.org.
Advisors for this research
A number of experts have helped Pew Internet in this research effort:
Larra Clark, American Library Association, Office for Information Technology Policy
Mike Crandall, Professor, Information School, University of Washington
Allison Davis, Senior Vice President, GMMB
Catherine De Rosa, Vice President, OCLC
LaToya Devezin, American Library Association Spectrum Scholar and librarian, Louisiana
Amy Eshelman, Program Leader for Education, Urban Libraries Council
Sarah Houghton, Director, San Rafael Public Library, California
Mimi Ito, Research Director of Digital Media and Learning Hub, University of California Humanities Research Institute
Patrick Losinski, Chief Executive Officer, Columbus Library, Ohio
Jo McGill, Director, Northern Territory Library, Australia
Dwight McInvaill, Director, Georgetown County Library, South Carolina
Bobbi Newman, Blogger, Librarian By Day
Carlos Manjarrez, Director, Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation, Institute of Museum and Library Services
Johana Orellana-Cabrera, American Library Association Spectrum Scholar and librarian in TX.
Mayur Patel, Vice President for Strategy and Assessment, John S. and James L. Knight Foundation
Karen Archer Perry, Senior Program Officer, Global Libraries, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Sharman Smith, Executive Director, Mississippi Library Commission
Michael Kelley, Editor-in-Chief, Library Journal
Disclaimer from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
This report is based on research funded in part by the Bill &
Melinda Gates Foundation. The findings and conclusions contained within
are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect positions or
policies of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
