Zickuhr, K. (2013). Tech trends and library services in the digital age. PewResearch Center. Retrieved from http://www.pewinternet.org/2013/05/10/tech-trends-and-library-services-in-the-digital-age/
Many of the ideas in the article came as no surprise to me. Internet use with people over 18 has grown from 14% in 1995 to 82% in 2012. Approximately 2/3 of adult have broadband. 65% of ALL adults in the United States use some kind of social networking site (87% of adults under 30). None of the statistics shock me. My family and I help my 91 year old grandmother to set up a Facebook page a couple of years ago. If my granny is on Facebook (with dial up unfortunately) then I image most adults are as well!
Now that we have the basics...most everyone has internet access...what about the library? This week I discussed with my 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade library students ebooks. None of them new what the "e" in email stood for, and most had never heard of an ebook until I explained it to them. Our school library has a collection of ebook. NONE of my students were aware of this fact. NONE of them have ever read an ebook. But, according to Ms. Zickuhr's article 62% of American's do not know if they public library lends out ebooks. The scary part is that this figure included 58% of library card holders. As our love affari of technology grows, so does our use of tablets/ereads as well. In May 2010 6% of American adults had a tablet or ereader. As of January 2013, the number is 40%. I wonder how much it has grown in the last two years. Do you have a tablet or e-reader? Have you ever read an ebook? I still prefer to have the book in my hand, but I love the idea of packing my iPad on trips and having any book I want to read and still have leg room in the car!
Back to the library...how are we using technology and media in today's libraries? 46% of people who visit the library in person use a research database. I know I look up books while I am there. No longer do we use the card catalog. 26% are there to use the computer or get internet access. A major role in libraries now is giving the public access to the internet for various reasons: research, databases, online books, etc...
As the tech trend and the patrons evolve, so must the library. What have you noticed changing in the libraries near you?
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Nice blog post and comments, as well as a readable infographic. What did you think of the program you used to create it?
ReplyDeleteI love the graphics. I think people can relate to how they are using the library as well. I would like to see patrons use the librarian more. I am constantly promoting librarians and some times I feel like a broken record.
ReplyDeleteDr. Gross, I used easel.ly to create the infographic. I don't think I can fairly judge the program though. We have been having difficulties with our home internet for about a month. At the time I created the graphic, my internet was lagging badly. I was extremely frustrating and time consuming. The program was unresponsive and difficult to use, most likely due to my internet connection issues. We had an appointment to have our router replace Saturday after it was due. Things seem much smoother now.
ReplyDeleteI really like your infographic. I am really curious to see how much the percentages have changed since the report.
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