Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World
Using both focus groups and a non-scientific sample of people who volunteered to participate in Pew Internet surveys, we asked library staff members from around the country about their thoughts on many of the library services discussed in this report. This section includes some of their comments on library services for parents and children, including […]
The arts organizations represented in the survey tend to agree with the notions that the internet and social media have “increased engagement” and made art a more participatory experience, and that they have helped make “arts audiences more diverse.” They also tend to agree that the internet has “played a major role in broadening the […]
Libraries’ strengths In addition to asking our online panel of library staff members about various services that libraries do offer or might offer in the future, we also asked about what they considered to be libraries’ strengths. One common theme was libraries’ role as a community center, and their connection to patrons and other local […]
In addition to asking people how they use their local public libraries, we also asked them about how much they felt they know about the different services and programs their library offers. We also examined how important Americans feel various library services are to their communities, and explored what sort of activities and resources people […]
The emergence of digital content has disrupted industries and institutions that have enjoyed relatively stable practices, policies, and businesses for decades. News organizations, record companies, broadcast and movie producers, and book publishers have all been dramatically affected by the change. So have libraries. Interest in e-books took off in late 2006 with the release of […]
Fully 76% of libraries lend e-books to patrons, according to the ALA.[55. numoffset=”55″ “Libraries Connect Communities: Public Library Funding & Technology Access Study 2011-2012,” the American Library Association and the Information Policy & Access Center (University of Maryland), June 19, 2012. http://www.ala.org/research/plftas/2011_2012] Yet, most citizens, even those who are library patrons, are unsure of whether […]
Overview of responses in our online panel Our online panel, unsurprisingly, was a relatively tech savvy group. The vast majority of library patron respondents owned a desktop or laptop computer, as well as a cell phone. Over half owned an e-reader, and about half owned a tablet computer—far higher than the 19% of the general […]
This is the first comprehensive examination of the reading habits of the general population since e-books have come to prominence. The emergence of e-books has disrupted industries and institutions that have enjoyed relatively stable practices, policies, and businesses for decades. Widespread consumer interest in e-books began in late 2006 with the release of Sony Readers […]
The future of books Respondents were asked to explain their choice and “share your view of the Internet’s influence on the future of knowledge-sharing in 2020, specifically when it comes to reading and writing and other displays of information – what is likely to stay the same and what will be different? What do you […]