The Role Of Libraries In A Networked World (2008)

The role of libraries in a networked world

Lee Rainie – Director Pew Internet ProjectTexas Library AssociationApril 17, 2008

April 17, 2008 2The role of libraries in a networked world

Eight hallmarks of

the new digital ecosystem


Hallmark 1

Media and gadgets are ubiquitous parts of

everyday life


Home media ecology - 1975Product Route to home Display Local storage

TV stations phone TV Cassette/ 8-track

broadcast TV radio

broadcast radio stereo Vinyl album

News mail

Advertising newspaper delivery phone

paper

Radio Stations non-electronic

Tom Wolzien, Sanford C. Bernstein & Co


Home media ecology – nowProduct Route to home Display Local storage

cable TiVo (PVR) VCRTV stations DSL TVInfo wireless/phone radio DVD“Daily me” broadcast TV PC Web-based storage content iPod /MP3server/ TiVo (PVR)Cable Nets broadcast radio stereo PCWeb sites satellite monitor web storageLocal news mail headphones CD/CD-ROMContent from express delivery pager individuals iPod / storage portable gamer MP3 player / iPodPeer-to-peer subcarriers / WIFI cell phone pagers - PDAsAdvertising newspaper delivery phone cable boxRadio stations camcorder/camera PDA/Palm game console

game console paperSatellite radio non-electronic storage sticks/disks

Adapted from Tom Wolzien, Sanford C. Bernstein & Co


Hallmark 2

The internet, especially broadband connectivity, is

at the center of the revolution


Internet and broadband adoption 1995-2007

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

Ad

ult

s

Go Online Broadband at home

Internet users

Broadband at home


Hallmark 3

People can enjoy media, gather information, and carry on communication

anywhere. Wirelessness is its own adventure.


Wireless connectivity 2004-2007

Connect to the internet wirelessly

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

2004 2005 2006 2007


Mobile devices – college student ownership

• 88% of college students own cell phones• 81% own digital cameras• 63 own MP3 players• 55% own video cameras• 55% own laptops• 27% of college students own a PDA or Blackberry

----• 77% of college students play games online


Hallmark 4

Ordinary citizens have a chance to be publishers,

movie makers, artists, song creators, and story

tellers


62% of young adult internet users have uploaded photos to the internet

----

34% of all users have done this

Content creation


58% of online teens have created their own profile on a social network site like MySpace or Facebook

----33% of online adults

have such profiles

Content creation


39% of online teens share their own creations online, such as artwork, photos, stories, or videos

----21% of online adults

have done this

Content creation


33% of college students keep blogs and regularly post

----

12% of online adults have a blog

Content creation


28% of young adult internet users have uploaded videos to the web

----

14% of all adult internet users have done this

Content creation


26% of online teens report keeping their own personal webpage

----

14% of online adults have their own page

Content creation


26% of young adults have created or worked on webpages or blogs for others, including those for groups they belong to, friends or school assignments

----13% of online adults do

this

Content creation


Content creation

20% of online young adults say they remix content they find online into their own artistic creations

----

11% of online adults have done this


19% of online young adults have created an avatar that interacts with others online

----6% of all adult

internet users have done this

Content creation


15% of young adult internet users have uploaded videos to the web

----

8% of all adult internet users have done this

Content creation


Hallmark 5

All those content creators have an audience.


55% of young adult internet users use video-sharing sites

---

33% of all adults go to such sites

Accessing new information content


54% of college students have read blogs

---

36% of all adults do that



44% of young adult internet users seek information at Wikipedia sites

---

36% of all adults use them



14% of young internet users download podcasts

---

12% of all adults do



Hallmark 6

Many are sharing what they know and what they feel

online and that is building conversations and

communities


37% of young adult internet users have rated a person, product, or service online

---

32% of all adults have done so

Information sharing and evaluation


34% of online young adults have tagged online content

---

28% of all adults have done that



25% of younger internet users have commented on videos

They also post comments on blogs and photos

---13% of all adults have

commented on videos



Hallmark 7

Online Americans are customizing their online experiences thanks to

Web 2.0 tools


~ 40% of younger internet users customize news and other information pages; ~ half are on specialty listservs

Information customization


~ A quarter to a third of younger internet users get RSS feeds

Information customization


Hallmark 8

Different people use these technologies in different

ways


Information & communications technology

Applications

Why a tech-user typology?


PIP’s tech-user typology Assets

o Internet (and broadband at home)o Computer use (laptop & desktop)o Cell phoneso iPodso Web camso Video recorders & digital cameras

Actionso User-generated contento Gamingo Cell phone applications

Attitudeso Help me be productive?o Give me more control?o Information overload?


High end – Group 1OMNIVORES (8% of the population)

Data Profile• Age: late 20s• Gender: Male dominant• Race: Diverse• Home b-band: 89%• Special traits

– Students– Wireless– Photo and video freaks

They have the most information gadgets and services, which they use voraciously to participate in cyberspace and express themselves online and do a range of Web 2.0 activities such as blogging or managing their own Web pages.


High end – Group 2CONNECTORS (7% of the population)

Between featured-packed cell phones and frequent online use, they connect to people and manage digital content using ICTs – all with high levels of satisfaction about how ICTs let them work with community groups and pursue hobbies.

Data Profile• Age: late 30s• Gender: Female dominant• Race: Diverse (blacks)• SES: Upscale• Home b-band: 86%• Special traits

– Email fanatics + IM – Cell phones– Media experiences by other

means– Suspect their gadgets can do

more; sometimes need help


High end – Group 3LACKLUSTER VETERANS (8% of the population)

They are frequent users of the internet and less avid about cell phones. They are not thrilled with ICT-enabled connectivity.

Data Profile

• Age: 40ish

• Gender: Male dominant

• Race: Diverse, trending white

• SES: Upscale

• Home b-band: 77%

• Special traits

– Tech is necessary, not exiting

– Dislike “always on” world

– Parents (child at home)

– Trad. channels of chatter and info predominate


High end – Group 4PRODUCTIVITY ENHANCERS (8% of population)

They have strongly positive views about how technology lets them keep up with others, do their jobs, and learn new things.

Data Profile• Age: 40ish• Gender: Parity• Race: Diverse (Latino)• SES: Upscale• Home b-band: 71%• Special traits

– Flip side of lackluster vets– Love tech for work use– Don’t have time or

inclination to create or browse for fun


Middle end – Group 1MOBILE CENTRICS (10% of the population)

They fully embrace the functionality of their cell phones. They use the internet, but not often, and like how ICTs connect them to others.

Data Profile• Age: early 30s• Gender: Parity• Race: Minorities rule• SES: Middle income• Home b-band: 37%• Special traits

– Phone texters and photo takers

– Not early adopters– More likely to be single– Not as many gadgets


Middle end – Group 2CONNECTED BUT HASSLED (10% of population)

They have invested in a lot of technology, but they find the connectivity intrusive and information something of a burden.

Data Profile• Age: mid-40s• Gender: Female dominant• Race: White• SES: Middle income• Home b-band: 80%• Special traits

– Go online less frequently– Tech is not fun – it’s stressful– Experience info overload


Low end – Group 1INEXPERIENCED EXPERIMENTERS (8% of pop.)

They occasionally take advantage of interactivity, but if they had more experience, they might do more with ICTs.

Data Profile• Age: 50ish• Gender: Female dominant• Race: Diverse• SES: Middle income• Home b-band: 15%• Special traits

– Less online experience– Fewer tech assets– Fascinated with tech, and

willing to try gadgets with coaching


Low end – Group 2LIGHT BUT SATISFIED (15% of population)

They have some technology, but it does not play a central role in their daily lives. They are satisfied with what ICTs do for them.

Data Profile• Age: mid-50s• Gender: Parity• Race: Whites• SES: Below average• Home b-band: 15%• Special traits

– Traditional media occupies time– Tech doesn’t do much for them– Late adopters


Low end – Group 3INDIFFERENTS (11% of population)

Despite having either cell phones or online access, these users use ICTs only intermittently and find connectivity annoying.

Data Profile• Age: late 40s• Gender: Parity• Race: Whites• SES: Below average• Home b-band: 12%• Special traits

– Active tech resistors surrounded by gadgets

– Time pressed– Truthful?


Low end – Group 4OFF THE NETWORK (15% of population)

Those with neither cell phones nor internet connectivity tend to be older adults who are content with old media.

Data Profile• Age: mid-60s+• Gender: Female dominant• Race: Diverse (blacks)• SES: Poorest group• Home b-band: 0%• Special traits

– Old media and tech are everything

– Tech wary or even hostile


What all this connectivity does to us

• It changes our relationship to information

• It changes our relationship to each other


Life changes in 10 important ways

1.Volume of info grows -- “long tail” expands2.Velocity of info increases – “smart mobs”

emerge3.Venues of intersecting with info and people

multiply – place shifting and time shifting occurs… “absent presence” occurs

4.Venturing for info changes – search strategies and search expectations spread in the Google era


5.Vigilance for info transforms – attention is truncated (“continuous partial attention”) and elongated (“deep dives”)

6.Valence (relevance) of info improves – “Daily Me” and “Daily Us” gets made

7.Vetting of info becomes more “social” – credibility tests change as people ping their social networks

Life changes in 10 important ways – cont.


8.Viewing of info is disaggregated and becomes more “horizontal” (Allen Renear UI-Champaign-Urbana) – new reading strategies emerge as coping mechanisms

9.Voting on and ventilating about info proliferates – tagging, rating, and commenting on material is enabled – collective intelligence emerges



10.inVention of info and the visibility of new creators is enhanced – the read/write, Web 2.0 world is about participation



What role does this leave for libraries?

• Libraries can plug into people’s social networks

– Be a “node” in people’s networks – or “weak tie”


Background of research

• Institute for Museum and Library Services grant

• UIC partnership• Government

Printing Office query

http://www.pewinternet.org/PPF/r/231/report_display.asp


Visited library in the past year

53% of American adults

Gen.

(ages)

Gen Y

(18-30)

Gen X

(31-42)

Trailing

Boomers

(43-52)

Leading

Boomers

(53-61)

Matures

(62-71)

After Work

(72+)

% who visited a public library

62% 59% 57% 46% 42% 32%


Who turns to libraries for problem solving

• Young adults (18-29) = 21%

• Oldest (over 70) = 15%

• Blacks = 26%

• Latinos = 22%

• Lower income (HH <$40,000) = 17%


Once they are at the library, they are active AND happy

• 69% got help from library staff• 68% used computers – 38% got

one-on-one instruction• 58% sought reference materials• 42% used newspapers and

magazines


What role does this leave for libraries?

• Libraries can plug into people’s social networks

• They can help teach new literacies


1.Graphic literacy – the language of the screen.

2.Navigation – the transition to non-linear format.

3.Context – the importance of seeing connections.

4.Focus – the value of reflection.

5.Skepticism – the capacity to evaluate

6.Ethical behavior – the will to be responsible

Librarian blogger Pam Berger’s list http://www.infosearcher.com/


7.Personal literacy – understanding your digital footprints

Pew Internet’s add-on


Thank you!

Lee Rainie

Director

Pew Internet & American Life Project

1615 L Street NW

Suite 700

Washington, DC 20036

[email protected]

202-419-4500

Technology

The Role Of Libraries In A Networked World (2008)