Lee Rainie, Director of the Pew Research Center’s Internet Project presents his organization’s latest findings about what people do at libraries and what they’d like libraries to become. He describes the services patrons say they want libraries to offer and he describes the big issues that new libraries are resolving.

1. The New Library
Lee Rainie - @lrainie
Director
Pew Research Center’s Internet Project
Presented to: Wyoming Library Association
October 3, 2013

2. “Tell the truth, and trust the people”
-- Joseph N. Pew, Jr.
http://bit.ly/dUvWe3
http://bit.ly/100qMub

3. The new library has figured out 5 things
1. How its users want to …
a. Access knowledge
b. Be delighted and surprised
c. Retreat from hyper-abundance and connectivity
d. Participate in new learning experiences
2. How to act as trusted information concierge to patrons any time
and anywhere … be a “node” in people’s social networks
3. How to close divides and open community opportunities –
especially in addressing “market shortcomings”
4. What its franchise/value proposition is -- and how to deliver
“commodity” goods and services as cheaply and efficiently as
possible

4. The new library has figured out 5 things
1. How its users want to …
a. Access knowledge
b. Be delighted and surprised
c. Retreat from hyper-abundance and connectivity
d. Participate in new learning experiences
2. How to act as trusted information concierge to patrons any time
and anywhere … be a “node” in people’s social networks
3. How to close divides and open community opportunities –
especially in addressing “market shortcomings”
4. What its franchise/value proposition is -- and how to deliver
“commodity” goods and services as cheaply and efficiently as
possible

5. All these are driven by
technology change

6. Digital Revolution 1: Broadband at home - 70% (+10% more
have smartphones) - Internet users overall: 85%
3%
70%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
June
2000
April
2001
March
2002
March
2003
April
2004
March
2005
March
2006
March
2007
April
2008
April
2009
May
2010
Aug
2011
April
2012
May
2013
Dial-up Broadband
Broadband at
home
Dial-up
at home

7. The Landscape of Social Media Users (among adults)
% of internet
users who….
The service is especially appealing to
Use Any Social
Networking Site
72% Adults ages 18-29, women
Use Facebook 71% Women, ages 18-29
LinkedIn 22% Men, whites, college educated
Use Pinterest 21%
Women, adults under 50, whites,
those with some college education
Use Twitter 18%
Ages 18-29, African-Americans,
urban residents
Use Instagram 17%
Ages 18-29, African-Americans,
Latinos, women, urban residents
Use Tumblr 6% Adults ages 18-29
reddit 6% Men ages 18-29

8. Digital Revolution 2
Mobile – 91% … smartphone 56% … tablets 34%
326.4
Total U.S.
population:
319 million
2012

9. Changes in smartphone ownership
35%
48%
17%
46%
41%
12%
56%
35%
9%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
Smartphone Other cell phone No cell phone
May 2011 February 2012 May 2013

10. 84%
70%
67%
88%
73%
66%
83%
62%*
49%*
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Internet access Home broadband Mobile internet
Urban Suburban Rural
+10%
The rural story
* Statistically
significant
difference
+10%
+8%
No broadband, but
have smartphones

11. Libraries and tech
85%
53%
41%
26%
16%
34%
83%
55%
41%
27%
13%
30%
84%
52%
28%
17%
8%
29%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
Ever visit library Visit library last 12
months
Ever visit website Visit website last
12 months
Connect w/ mobile
device
Use library
computers/internet
Urban Suburban Rural
Among library
users

12. Digital Revolution 3
Social networking – 61% of all adults
% of internet users
9%
89%
7%
78%
6%
60%
1%
43%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
18-29 30-49 50-64 65+

13. Big challenge for libraries
Atoms bits
Collections
are
disrupted

14. Big challenge for libraries
People come to us We go to people
The library as
place becomes
the library
as placeless
resource

15. Big challenge for libraries
Expertise and influence emerges in
networks and algorithms
Share the
stage with
amateur
experts

16. How users want to …
• Access knowledge
– Any time, just-in-time, real time, anywhere, any device
• 71% say they’d use online “ask a librarian”
• 71% want broader selection of e-books (plus “petting zoos”, kiosks,
e-reader training, pre-loaded devices)
• Be delighted and surprised
• 56% would like more recommendations
• Retreat from hyper-abundance and connectivity
• 76% say its very important to offer quiet study spaces
• Participate in new learning experiences

17. The new library has figured out 5 things
1. How its users want to …
a. Access knowledge
b. Be delighted and surprised
c. Retreat from hyper-abundance and connectivity
d. Participate in new learning experiences
2. How to act as trusted information concierge to patrons any time
and anywhere … be a “node” in people’s social networks
3. How to close divides and open community opportunities –
especially in addressing “market shortcomings”
4. What its franchise/value proposition is -- and how to deliver
“commodity” goods and services as cheaply and efficiently as
possible

18. Social networks and social
media become more
important in people’s
learning strategies

19. What does this mean?
1) Social networks are more influential and are
differently segmented and layered
Sentries

20. What does this mean?
Evaluators
1) Social networks are more influential and are
differently segmented and layered

21. What does this mean?
Audience = New
media are the
new
neighborhood
1) Social networks are more influential and are
differently segmented and layered

22. The new library has figured out 5 things
1. How its users want to …
a. Access knowledge
b. Be delighted and surprised
c. Retreat from hyper-abundance and connectivity
d. Participate in new learning experiences
2. How to act as trusted information concierge to patrons any time
and anywhere … be a “node” in people’s social networks
3. How to close divides and open community opportunities –
especially in addressing “market shortcomings”
4. What its franchise/value proposition is -- and how to deliver
“commodity” goods and services as cheaply and efficiently as
possible

23. 17% of rural residents do not use the internet -1
• 37% of non-internet users in rural areas think the internet is
just not relevant to them, saying they are not interested, do
not want to use it, or have no need for it.
• 31% of non-internet users in rural areas cite reasons tied to
their sense that the internet is not very easy to use. These
non-users say it is difficult or frustrating to go online, they are
physically unable, or they are worried about other issues such
as spam, spyware, and hackers.
• 24% of non-internet users in rural areas cite the expense of
owning a computer or paying for an internet connection.
• 10% of non-users in rural areas cite a physical lack of
availability or access to the internet.

24. 17% of rural residents do not use the internet -2
• 49% of rural non-internet users have asked a family
member or friend to perform an online activity for
them
• 15% of rural non-internet users live in a household with
internet connection and other family members use it to
go online
• 15% of rural non-internet users once used the internet
but no longer do
• 1% of rural non-internet users would like to start using
the internet

25. “Market shortcomings”
librarians could address

26. 1) Library non-users
% who have visited a library or bookmobile in
person in the past year
All Americans ages 16+ 53%
a Men (n=1,059) 48%
b Women (n=1,193) 59a
Age
a 16-17 (n=101) 62%de
b 18-29 (n=369) 57%e
c 30-49 (n=586) 59%de
d 50-64 (n=628) 51%e
e 65+ (n=531) 40%
Education attainment
a No high school diploma (n=254) 43%
b High school grad (n=610) 46%
c Some College (n=562) 58%ab
d College + (n=812) 63%ab
Parent of minor
a Parent (n=584) 64%b
b Non-parent (n=1,667) 49%
53%
59%
40%
58%
63%
64%

27. Answer the Marvin Gaye question
• 22% say that they know all or most of the services their
libraries offer (22% of rural residents)
• 46% say they know some of what their libraries offer (45%
of rural residents)
• 31% said they know not much or nothing at all of what
their libraries offer (31% of rural residents)

28. 1a) Library non-users who are willing to listen
53%
75% 76%
84%
91%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Used library last
12 months
Read a book in
past 12 months
Library is
important to
me/family
Ever visited
library
Library is
important to
community
22% 23%
31% 38%

29. “Market shortcomings ”: Examples of
librarians could address
1) Technology non-users - skills training in new
literacies
2) Pre-school
3) After school
4) English as a Second Language issues
5) Lifelong learning opportunities / credentialing
competency
6) Fill gaps in local media ecosystem – community
and civic information/curation
7) Help for small business / entrepreneurs / non-
profits
8) Serendipity in discovery

30. 6 reasons why can
libraries
do that

31. 1) Libraries are appreciated
91% say libraries are
important to their
communities (90% of
rural residents)
76% say libraries are
important to them and
their families (72% of
rural residents)
Robert Dawson photography - Library Road Trip
http://www.robertdawson.com/pages/1/Public%20Library%3a%20An%20American%20Commons/Public%20Library%3a%20An%20American%20Commons
/

32. Quick news flash: New preliminary data
• Having a public library improves the quality of life
in a community
• Public libraries are important because they
promote literacy and a love of reading
• Because it provides free access to materials and
resources, the public library plays an important
role in giving everyone a chance to succeed
• Public libraries provide many services people
would have a hard time finding elsewhere
----
• Disagree: Public libraries have NOT done a good
job keeping up with new technologies

33. … more …
• Split verdict: People do NOT need public
libraries as much as they used to because they
can find most information on their own

34. 34
2) Libraries stack up well vs. others
How confident? How important?
63 28
Library to community

35. 3) People like librarians
• 98% of “ever” library visitors say interactions are “very/mostly
positive” (97% of rural residents)
• 81% of library visitors say librarians are “very helpful” (82% of rural
residents)
• 50% of “last year” visitors got help from a librarian (48% of rural
residents)

36. 4) Libraries have rebranded
themselves as tech hubs
80% of Americans say borrowing books
is a “very important” service
libraries provide (77% of rural
residents)
80% say reference librarians are a
“very important” service (81% of
rural residents)
77% say free access to computers and
the internet is a “very important”
service (73% of rural residents)
76% say quiet study spaces are a “very
important” service (73% of rural
residents)

37. 5) Reading is alive and well
75% of those ages 16 and older read a book in the previous year (73% of
rural residents), including 23% who read an e-book (15% of rural
residents)
15 is the mean/average number of books read in past 12 months by book
readers (17 books for rural residents) and median/midpoint is 6 (7 for rural
residents)
24 is mean/average for e-book readers (24 for rural e-book readers)
30% of e-content consumers who are reading more now because e-content
is available (29% of rural residents) 41% for tablet owners (43% for
rural residents)
5% of those 16+ have borrowed an e-book from a library (4% of rural residents)
– and they are book buyers, too!

38. 6) Libraries have a
mandate to intervene

39. Coordinate more closely with local schools in
providing resources to kids
Offer free early literacy programs to help
young children prepare for school
77%
77%
17%
19%
3%
3%
Should definitely do Maybe do Definitely NOT do

40. 5th and final thing to figure out --
Where you fit on the dashboard
ALA’s “Confronting the Future”
Totally physical
(facilities and media)
Individual focus
Collection library
(physical and virtual)
Archive
Me: Everything for
everyone
Totally virtual
(facilities and media)
Community focus
Creation library
(social, maker space)
Portal (or Platform)
Specialized niche

41. Be not
afraid

42. Libraries.pewinternet.org
Lee Rainie
Email: lrainie@pewinternet.org
Twitter: @Lrainie
Kathryn Zickuhr
Email: kzickuhr@pewinternet.org
Twitter: @kzickuhr
Kristen Purcell
Email: @kpurcell@pewinternet.org
Twitter: @kristenpurcell