What can libraries learn from new user (and non-user!)e-reading data from the Pew Internet Project?

Editor's Notes

• #9: Some 78% of those 16 and older had read at least one book in any format in the previous 12 months. 19% of adults say they read NO books in the past year, in any format. This group is more likely to be: male than female (23% vs. 14%), Hispanic than white or black (28% vs. 17% and 16%), age 65 or older (27%), lacking a high school diploma (34%), living in households earning less than $30,000 (26%), unemployed (22%), and residents of rural areas 25%. Those who did not read a book last year also tended not to be technology users.
• #10: Some 78% of those 16 and older had read at least one book in any format in the previous 12 months. 21% of American adults read an e-book in the last year 68% read a print book 11% listened to an audiobook 19% of adults say they read NO books in the past year, in any format
• #12: Readers of e-books are more likely than other readers to be: Under age 50 College educated Living in households earning $50K+ Other key characteristics: They read more books, more often, and for a wider range of reasons More likely to buy than borrow
• #13: 29% of US adults own a specialized e-reading device (either a tablet or an e-reader) E-reader and tablet ownership are strongly correlated with income & education Women are more likely than men to own e-readers Parents are more likely than non-parents to own tablets
• #14: E-books don’t seem to supplant print books so much as supplement them in readers’ habits.
• #18: In general, library card holders are pretty heavy readers, but most are not aware they can borrow e-books.
• #19: A majority of print readers (54%) and e-book readers (61%) prefer to purchase their own copies of these books; most audiobook listeners (61%) prefer to borrow their audiobooks.
• #20: A majority of print readers (54%) and e-book readers (61%) prefer to purchase their own copies of these books; most audiobook listeners (61%) prefer to borrow their audiobooks.
• #21: About half of e-book borrowers have encountered waiting lists for books they wanted to check out, and a similar number had wanted to borrow a book but found the library did not carry it. Patrons’ vision of e-book borrowing: “ Fast, easy, plentiful. ”
• #23: Among these folks, just 4% had tried to borrow and e-book from their library; 96% had not.
• #24: In particular, African-Americans and Hispanics are more likely to be interested in these services compared with whites, as are those who live in lower-income households (compared with those in higher-income households). Women are more interested than men in taking classes on how to use handheld reading devices such as e-readers or tablets. While adults ages 65+ are least likely to be interested in any of the ideas, adults ages 50-64 are more interested in taking classes on using e-readers or downloading e-books than any other age group. Urban users are more interested than suburban or rural users in pre-loaded e-readers, while rural users are the least interested geographic group. Urban users are also somewhat more likely than users in other areas to be interested in classes on using handheld reading devices. Younger readers are the most likely to say they would be likely to borrow pre-loaded readers (60%).
• #25: Readers of e-books are more likely than other readers to be: Under age 50 College educated Living in households earning $50K+ Other key characteristics: They read more books, more often, and for a wider range of reasons More likely to buy than borrow
• #26: Readers of e-books are more likely than other readers to be: Under age 50 College educated Living in households earning $50K+ Other key characteristics: They read more books, more often, and for a wider range of reasons More likely to buy than borrow
• #27: What these changes [could] mean for libraries
• #28: A patron respondent had a similar story: “Fifteen years ago, I regularly visited the library twice a week. Now I go about once a month and often that is just to drop off books that are due or pick up books that I have reserved. I would prefer to do ALL of my library business online and have many more materials available in e-book format.” One patron’s description of her library habits was representative of many in our online panel: “I go to the library branch much less often and I use the library website several times per week. Before I got my e-book reader, I visited my library at least weekly and almost never used the website, except to reserve books.” Patrons with limited access to their library’s physical branch, including adults living with disability and those who live in very rural areas, mentioned how e-books helped them read more. “A few months ago I was housebound due to a nasty illness,” one told us, and “thanks to the digital download system I was able to check out books and was able to keep on reading. That was an immense help since I live by myself and there was no one who could go get books for me.”
• #29: “ Many of our older patrons received electronic devices as gifts over the past two years. This group of library users asks for lots of help with their devices, from plugging them in to turning them on to trying to make them interface with the e-book portion of the library website.” “ Showing patrons how to use digital content and e-book readers is not much different than showing people how to use the micro-film machine or our public computers except it might take a little more time.” Many of the library staff members who responded to our online questionnaire wrote that they not only provide access to technology, but also must help patrons learn tech fundamentals. Their patrons often need help with many basic tasks, from setting up an email account and filling out online forms, to finding and navigating necessary websites. As one library staff member explained, “The greatest change has been the need not only for computer access, but computer assistance. Since people are required to apply for jobs and government services online, and many people in our area lack the skills to do so, we have seen a substantial rise in the need for computers, computer classes, and especially one-on-one assistance.”
• #31: Read the e-book fine print, negotiate for your rights, and look for consortial opportunities to leverage limited resources. Reference ALA biz models and e-supplements. Are libraries (and our collections) getting lost in the digital world? Even library borrowers look first to online bookstores. How can we support discovery and serendipity online (or even in physical spaces)? Does this require some kind of compromise on patron privacy? How might programming add value or create new connections to our digital content? A key theme is the interest of patrons in getting help using new technology – devices, software and web forms. How do we turn this into an opportunity, as well as a challenge? While most data focuses on commercial content, an emerging trend is toward content creation and digitization of local content that the library (and/or its users) may own. What is the impact of 58% of library card holders NOT knowing that their library offers ebooks? How do we change people’s vision of what a library is and can be in the 21 st century? This issue of promotion directly relates to advocacy – speaking up for our libraries, but also on behalf of our communities’ equitable access to resources.