Who are Today's Public Library Users? Myth vs Fact !

Another gift from IMLS, The Institute for Museum & Library Services.  A federal grant making agency supporting museums and libraries.  We need real data, evidence we can digest, on who uses public library computers (rather than people’s assumptions and rantings).

It’s quite a representative group; most have PC’s at home, most have post secondary educations, most are not poor, and most are not teens. Assumptions are a dangerous thing. Libraries serve everyone!

Myth vs. Fact: Who are Today’s Library Computer Users?
A Demographic Analysis of Public Access Computer Users and Uses in U.S. Public Libraries

Washington, DC—Public access computers in U.S. public libraries continue to be in high demand according to Who’s in the Queue: Public Access Computer Users, a new research brief by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). The report dispels some myths that have lingered regarding the target service population for public access computers in U.S. public libraries. It also provides a demographic analysis of public access computer users and uses and demonstrates that public libraries are providing much more than basic technology access.

“This study challenges commonly held perceptions about library users and demonstrates public libraries’ role in the global information economy,” said Susan Hildreth, IMLS Director. “Libraries are constantly reinventing themselves to meet the ever-changing information needs of their communities.”

The report examines trends in library computer use according to demographic characteristics. Eight major categories of activities were examined: social connections/communications, education, employment, health and wellness, government and legal, community engagement, managing finances, and entrepreneurship.
Select Findings and Background Information:

Myth: Library computer users are a small segment of the population.
Fact: One third of the American public used a library computer in 2009. Public access computer users largely mirror the general public in terms of age and education. Libraries are at the crossroads of the community serving and young and old, rich and poor, people with little formal education as well as those with graduate degrees.

Myth: People who use library computers to access the internet are less likely to have access to computers and the Internet at home.
Fact: The majority of library public access computer users (86 percent) reported they had “regular access to a computer and the Internet for your personal use” at home. That is not to say that the remaining fourteen percent of users (8,340,722) do not have significant public access computing service needs. People who lacked home access were frequent users, with 65 percent reporting that they used computers and the internet in the library at least once a week or daily.

Myth: Libraries are just for kids and books.
Fact: In addition to providing books and children’s programs, libraries are places for people to explore new technologies, check out new music, eBooks, videos and a variety of other resources. People of all ages make use of library computers for a wide range needs. In 2009 an estimated 77 million people over the age of 14 used library computers. Young people between 14-19 were most likely to be using computers for educational purposes, users between the ages 25-54 were focused on employment and training, and older adults focused on health information.

Public access computing is not a temporary community service whose need will fall away as more people gain access in their homes. People with access at home and without access at home are going to the library to complete school assignments, to find a job, to learn more about health and wellness issues, and much more.Libraries have responded to demand by increasing financial investments in hardware, subscription databases and computing infrastructure. Between 2000 and 2007 alone the availability of Internet terminals in public libraries increased by 90 percent on a per capita basis.

Over the past decade policy discussions about public access computing in libraries have focused on the role that these institutions play in bridging the digital divide. It is clear that bridging the digital divide and encouraging broadband adoption and use is an important role for the library. However the library is much more than a stop gap solution for those who don’t have access at home or work.

About the Data
This newly released research brief relies on data compiled for U.S. Impact Study, which was conducted by the University of Washington in summer of 2009 and funded by IMLS and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The mixed method national survey was administered at the point-of-service in public libraries across the country via a web-based tool and as a national household survey. There were over 48,000 respondents to the study in the public data file. This data set provides information on the demographics of respondents and the nature of their public access computer use.

The brief also analyzed data from the Current Population Survey (CPS), a monthly survey of households conducted by the Bureau of Census for the Bureau of Labor Statistics. It provides a comprehensive body of data on the labor force, employment, unemployment, persons not in the labor force, hours of work, earnings, and other demographic and labor force characteristics. The 2009 computer use data was collected through a supplement to the CPS. The survey has included questions on Internet use since 1997.

About the Institute of Museum and Library Services
The Institute of Museum and Library Services is the primary source of federal support for the nation’s 123,000 libraries and 17,500 museums. The Institute’s mission is to create strong libraries and museums that connect people to information and ideas. The Institute works at the national level and in coordination with state and local organizations to sustain heritage, culture, and knowledge; enhance learning and innovation; and support professional development. To learn more about the Institute, please visit www.imls.gov”
Link to the report here. (8 page PDF)

Thanks IMLS! 

You Get What You Search For -- Or Do You?

I just read an Interesting item from Jakob Nielsen about search strategies.  Jakob Nielsen is a web usability expert & guru; his observations are spot-on evidence for the importance of us-librarians in the search process:  searching for clinicians at the point of need, training clinicians what they don’t know about how to search, training clinicians when to get help with search, when to question the reliability of their results. . . and more!

Jakob Nielsen writes:  “Although some analysts questioned the finding of search dominance, it’s a user behavior that gets stronger every year. Today, many users are so reliant on search that it’s undermining their problem-solving abilities. Ironically, the better search gets, the more dangerous it gets as people increasingly assume that whatever the search engine coughs up must be the answer.”

Thus, users increasingly rely on individual pages listed by search engines instead of finding better ways to tackle problems!  Not us necessarily, but many users including our own clinicians, may very well be doing it! This is what good information literacy skills can prevent!

This is what could be termed as a risk of users’ accepting bad results as good results or the normalization of deviance.  Loosely, the definition of the expression “normalization of deviance” as applied to human behavior and in our case, search behavior, was invented by a sociologist, Diane Vaughan, and represents when individuals in a system, over time, change the rules of what has been found an appropriate and safe behavior to one which is less appropriate and less safe because each individual finds that other individuals are changing the rules in the same way. So that behavior which is deviating from the established rules is now being made normal and common by this phenomenon—and possibly more dangerous, as well!
Check it out. . .  perhaps you can use this in your own searching and work to change a few minds. . . Jakob Nielsen’s Alertbox for April 11:  http://www.useit.com/alertbox/search-skills.html

To Strengthen the Capacity for Improving Info Literacy Amongst Americans

Knight Commission & Family Online Safety Institute Talk
Renee Hobbs just gave this great talk about what is info literacy, digital literacy, news literacy. . .Why we need a plan of action to instill information literacy amongst our citizens! 

YOUmedia--It's about Teens & Youth & Libraries & TRANSLITERACY!

To experience this example of transliteracy training all YOU need is a Chicago Public Library Card! YOUmedia is an innovative, 21st century teen learning space housed at the Chicago Public Library's downtown Harold Washington Library Center. YOUmedia was created to connect young adults, books, media, mentors, and institutions throughout the city of Chicago in one dynamic space designed to inspire collaboration and creativity.

High school age teens engaging with YOUmedia can access thousands of books, over 100 laptop and desktop computers, and a variety of media creation tools and software, all of which allow them to stretch their imaginations and their digital media skills. By working both in teams and individually, teens have an opportunity to engage in projects that promote critical thinking, creativity, and skill-building.

Mentors from Digital Youth Network as well as Chicago Public Library librarians lead workshops to help teens build their skills and create digital artifacts – from songs to videos to photography to blogging. Teens learn how to use a variety of technology and digital equipment, including still and video cameras, drawing tablets, and video and photo editing software. YOUmedia also provides an in-house recording studio featuring keyboards, turntables, and a mixing board.

All high school age teenagers are welcome, and the YOUmedia technology is available for free with a valid Chicago Public Library card. Now, let me hear you say TRANSLITERACY! That's what these teens are learning--how to navigate across all information technologies! Maybe now they'll break it all down for Mom & Dad!

Do You Know About Gigablast? The Green Search Engine?

Well, if you don't check it out and play around with it!

You can search the directory of categories or just type in a phrase like library innovations and see what comes up. I found this fascinating link by searching creating library buildings:

Gigablast, located in New Mexico, calls itself the Green Search Engine. Gigablast as 90% of its power comes from wind energy, using PNM's Sky Blue energy program, thus only using a miniscule 13 amps of coal power. How cool is that!

Gigablast also makes it easy to perform your query on the coal-based search engines by clicking links below the search results. So try them, and if you don't find what you want, click the others, which use millions of coal and oil-based amps.

In the world of search engines, and there are many many more than GOOGLE, search technology underlies the engine's power. One great example of this is the use of Gigablast by a Meta Search Engine appropriately called, Mamma, as in "ask yo Mamma!" Go on, ask her!