Friday, June 20, 2014

Pew Internet quiz: are you a library lover

The people at the Pew Research Internet Project have made a quiz using the categories of library use (or non user) that they discovered in their research (report released in March). As they say, it "is a condensed version of the questions asked in our nationally representative survey of 6,224 Americans ages 16 and older in September 2013." The categories are: Library Lovers, Information Omnivores, Solid Center, Print Traditionalists, Not for Me, Young and Restless, Rooted and Roadblocked, Distant Admirers, Off the Grid. http://www.pewinternet.org/quiz/library-typology/
The March 2014 report itself is, as usual, available in full online. On the home page they identify a few "surprises" e.g. "A common narrative is that Americans are turning away from libraries because of newer technology, but the data shows that most highly-engaged library users are also big technology users."
Also there is a quote from the report's main author: “A key theme in these survey findings is that many people see acquiring information as a highly social process in which trusted helpers matter ... One of the main resources that people tap when they have questions is the networks of expertise. Even some of the most self-sufficient information consumers in our sample find that libraries and librarians can be part of their networks when they have problems to solve or decisions to make.”
http://www.pewinternet.org/2014/03/13/library-engagement-typology/
Photo by Sheila Webber: washed and twisted, June 2014

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