The Internet and Libraries:Snapshots from a new media landscape

2.06.08Mary MaddenPew Internet & American Life Project

BayNet and SLA-SF Meeting

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It’s not a big truck…

…and it’s not a series of tubes!

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Internet Researcher…

…a valid profession for people and cats.

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Most important finding of the project:

!

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Who we are…

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Who’s Online?

• 75% of adults in the U.S. use the internet– up from 46% in 2000

• 93% of teens ages 12-17 use the internet– up from 73% in 2000

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Then and Now…

2000

5% with broadband at home

50% owned a cell phone

=slow and stationary connections

2008

55% with broadband at home

80% own a cell phone

=fast and mobile connections

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Youth of today, librarians of tomorrow

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Libraries understand change.

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Pew Internet Project: Libraries Data

• 53% of American adults reported going to a local public library in the past 12 months.

• Public library patrons are more likely to be:– younger adults (ages 18-30)– those with higher income and education– those who are internet users– Parents with children living at home

• No significant differences by race and ethnicity.

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Public Library Visits by Age

Generation

(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%

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Libraries and Problem Solving

Those who turn to libraries are successful and satisfied: They especially appreciate access to computers and the internet.

• Library problem solvers are most likely to seek education-related information.

• Generation Y is the most likely to turn to libraries for problem-solving information.– 40% of Gen Y said they would go to a library

in the future for help compared with just 20% of those over age 30.

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Today’s Teen – Born 1990

Personal computers are 15 years old

Tim Berners-Lee writes World Wide Web program

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Today’s Teen – First Grade 1996

Palm Pilot goes onthe market

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Today’s Teen – Fourth Grade 1999

Sean Fanning creates Napster

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Today’s Teen – Starts Middle School 2001

Wikipedia - 2001

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Today’s Teen – Middle School

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Today’s Teen – Middle School 2003

Skype - 2003

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Today’s Teen – Starts High School 2004

Podcasts – 2004

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Today’s Teen – Sophomore Year 2005

YouTube – 2005

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Today’s Teen – Junior Year 2006

The Year of MySpace:

• More than 200 million accounts created

• Third most popular site in the U.S.

• 55% of online teens use social networking sites

• 48% of social networking teens use the sites every day

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Profiles: Switchboards for social life

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Lesson #1: Get Creative

– Teens have embraced Web 2.0—blogging, remixing and sharing their creations without fear.

– We give teens the time to play and make mistakes, and adults need this time, too.

• 64% of online teens are content creators

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Lesson #2: Start Conversations

• Most teens receive feedback on the material they post, and most give feedback to others.

• Web 2.0 tools offer libraries the opportunity to solicit feedback and shape conversations about their programs and catalogs.

Teen content creators solicit feedback

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Lesson #3: Reinforce Relationships

– Rather than replace offline relationships with online ones, social media tools work best when they augment relationships that have other dimensions.

• 91% of social networking teens use the sites to stay in touch with offline friends

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Lesson #4: Cultivate Semi-public Spaces

• Teens curate social spaces where they feel comfortable sharing ideas and expressing themselves.

• Semi-public spaces like the Library 2.0 group on Ning offer librarians the opportunity to ask questions and hash out new ideas.

Teens are skilled navigators of the semi-public Web

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Privacy: LOLCats speak up!

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Know your story online…

• Search well and search often. Don’t wait until something bad or embarrassing happens.

Self-literacy: A critical component of digital literacy in everyday life.

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Take a ride on the WayBack Machine…

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“Digital Footprints”: Headline FindingsStudy: More Americans Googling themselves

-AP47% of adult internet users have searched for information about themselves online, up from just 22%, as reported by the Pew Internet Project in 2002.

Pew survey: Half of us have looked up people we know on Internet

-SF Chronicle53% have searched for information connected to at least one key group of people in their lives.

U.S. Adults Too Busy Googling Each Other to Worry Much About Privacy

-Information Week60% say they are not worried about how much information is available about them online.

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Other Key Findings

• Few monitor their online presence with great regularity.

• 60% of those who search for their names actually find relevant information about themselves.

• One in ten internet users have a job that requires them to self-promote or market their name online.

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Who am I? Self-Googling 101…

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A Second Opinion…

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Wait a minute…

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Me with a moustache?

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No introduction needed…

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Take this as you go…

• Listen and learn from your users—even if they’re half your age

• Make self-literacy part of digital media literacy for your staff and patrons

•Give your staff time to play!

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Thank you!

Mary Madden

Senior Research Specialist

Pew Internet & American Life Project

1615 L Street NW

Suite 700

Washington, DC 20036

mmadden@pewinternet.org

202-419-4500

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Photo Credits:

Slide 2: Uploaded by Jef Poskanzer. Available at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jef/2096636470/

Slide 3: Uploaded by McBeth. Available at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mcbeth/2068997749/

Slide 4:”Librarians Rock” t-shirt available at: http://www.cafepress.com

Slide 8: Uploaded by London Public Library. Available at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/londonpubliclibrary/987125878/

Slide 9: Photo credit #1: Uploaded by Justin Shearer. Available at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/justinshearer/2210097543/ Photo credit #2: Uploaded by gwen. Available at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/gwen/1467020008/.

Slide 21: “You looked better on MySpace” t-shirt available at: http://www.cafepress.com

Slide 27: Used with permission from www.icanhascheezburger.com

Slide 37: Uploaded by foxypar4. Available at: http://flickr.com/photos/foxypar4/428376855/