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1. library users and learning.
Adults who use libraries and visit library websites are often ahead of the crowd when it comes to being learners, engaging with information and embracing technology.
Fully 97% of those who visited a library or bookmobile in the past 12 months say the assertion “I think of myself as a lifelong learner” applies to them “very well” or “somewhat well.” And 98% of those who have used a library website in the past year feel the same way.
A recent Pew Research Center report about lifelong learning and technology found that 74% of adults participate in learning activities that make them “personal learners.” That is, they had done at least one of several activities, such as reading how-to materials or taken courses in pursuit of learning more about personal interests or hobbies in the past 12 months.
Some 23% of personal learners have pursued those interests at libraries in the past 12 months. The personal learners who are among the most likely to have used libraries for these kinds of enrichment activities include those in households earning less than $50,000 (29% of the personal learners have done so), those ages 65 and older (30% of this cohort have done so) and women (27% of the personal learners in this cohort have done so).
In our earlier report, it was also noted that 63% of those who are working (either full time or part time) are “professional learners,” 2 those who said in the past 12 months they had participated in job-related learning activities that either upgraded their skills or prepared them for new jobs. That amounts to 36% of the entire adult population. Some 9% of professional learners have pursued their classes or training at libraries.
It is often the case that library users are more likely than others to pursue a variety of learning experiences in all kinds of venues and formats and to say they have reaped benefits from those learning activities. The rest of this chapter will provide the latest data about who uses libraries, library websites and library mobile apps and then will examine the ways in which library users – as learners – participate in learning activities and profit from them.
The number of those visiting library buildings is trending down, while the number of library website users has leveled off
Fully 84% of those who visited a library in the past 12 months are personal learners, which compares with 66% of those who visited a library less recently or who have never been to a library. And 86% of those who visited a library website in the past year can be categorized as personal learners, compared with 69% of other adults.
In addition to asking about use of the library buildings and library websites, we asked a separate and new question in this survey about use of library apps. While 12% of adults said they have used one at some point in their lives, some 9% said they have used a library app in the past 12 months. Overall, in the past 12 months, 50% of adults interacted with a library through its facility, website or app.
Those who use libraries and their digital materials are more likely to be parents of minors, women, under age 50, and better educated
When it comes to the demographic traits of library users, this survey’s findings parallel previous patterns the Center has documented. Those who have visited a library or bookmobile in the past 12 months are more likely to be women, parents of minor children and those with higher levels of education. Younger adults ages 18 to 29 are more likely than their elders to have used libraries during the previous year. And those less likely to have recently visited a library include Hispanics and those who live in rural areas.
The same basic patterns hold for those who have used a library website in the past 12 months. When it comes to people’s use of mobile apps offered in connection with libraries, people’s level of education is the most noteworthy demographic difference tied to usage.
Library users self-identify as lifelong learners and as people interested in new information
Similarly, library users are more likely than others to agree with the statements that 1) they like to gather as much information as they can when they come across something unfamiliar and 2) they often find themselves looking for new opportunities to grow as a person.
Library users are also somewhat more likely to think that all people should be in a learning posture in at least some domains. For instance, those who have visited a library in the past 12 months are more likely than those who haven’t to think it is “very important” for people to make an effort to learn new things about their local community (73% vs. 68%) and to learn new things that are happening in society, such as developments in science, technology, entertainment or culture (74% vs. 65%).
Library users are major technology adopters
- Internet – 93% of those who used a library or bookmobile in the past 12 months are internet users.
- Smartphones – 76% of those who used a library or bookmobile in the past 12 months are smartphone users.
- Home broadband – 74% of those who used a library or bookmobile in the past 12 months are home broadband users.
- Social media – 74% of those who used a library or bookmobile in the past 12 months are social media users.
The same gaps in digital technology adoption appear between users and non-users when it comes to those who have used a library website or used a library app during that time period.
Library users stand out as ‘personal learners’
The same patterns also apply when comparing those who have used public library websites or mobile apps in the past 12 months with those who have not.
The 74% of adults who fit our description of personal learners were asked about several possible reasons they might pursue these informal educational activities, and those who had used the library in the past 12 months stood apart from others for several of those reasons:
- 84% of the personal learners who had visited a library or bookmobile in the past 12 months said they wanted to learn something that would make their life more interesting or full. That compares with 76% of the personal learners who had not recently used a library who felt that way.
- 67% of the personal learners who had recently visited a library said they wanted to learn something that would allow them to help others more effectively. Some 60% of those who had not recently visited a library cited that as a motive.
Recent library users did not show significant differences with others when it comes to other possible reasons for being a personal learner. Some 60% of all personal learners said they pursued these interests in the past 12 months because they had some extra time on their hands; 36% said they wanted to turn their hobby into something that generated income; and 33% said they wanted to learn things that would help them keep up with the schoolwork of their children, grandchildren or other kids in their lives.
Recent library users are more likely to cite benefits from personal learning than others
The same patterns about impact also apply when comparing those who have used public library websites or mobile apps in the past 12 months with those who have not.
The Center did not ask the kind of follow-up questions that could explain these differences. It is possible they arise from the fact that recent library users are somewhat more civically oriented than others. It also might stem from the fact that library users feel more enthusiastic about learning, as a rule.
Those who use library websites are more likely to be professional learners in many contexts
At the same time Pew Research Center identified personal learners through questions about activities that might lead to individual enrichment, the Center also identified professional learners by asking questions about whether those with full- or part-time jobs had taken a class or gotten extra training in the past 12 months. Overall, 63% of working Americans (or 36% of all adults) fit the definition of “professional learners,” and they got that extra knowledge:
- To learn, maintain or improve job skills
- For a license or certification needed for a job
- To help get a raise a promotion at work
- To help get a new job with a different employer
- Because they were worried about possible downsizing where they work
As noted above, 13% of professional learners got their training or pursued their skills development at a library. The one statistically significant difference on this issue involved Hispanic professional learners. Some 16% of Hispanic professional learners got some work-related training at a library, compared with 8% of whites and 9% of blacks who are professional learners. Otherwise, there were no notable demographic distinctions among those who did their job-related learning at the library.
When it comes to the impact of job- or professional-training activities, the professional learners who also used the library within the past 12 months were more likely than others to say this extra learning:
- Expanded their professional network: 69% of the professional learners who also were recent library users said their job-related learning expanded their professional network. That compares with 62% of others who said they got this benefit.
- Helped them advance within their current company or organization: 52% of the professional learners who had recently used the library say their job-related learning helped them advance with their current employer. That compares with 43% of the professional learners who not recent library users.
There were no differences among the professional learners who were also recent library users when it came to two other possible impacts of their new learning: 1) enabling them to find a new job inside or outside their current organization (29% of all professional learners got that benefit) and 2) helping them consider a different career path (27% of all professional learners got that benefit).
- In this survey, 58% of adults were either full- or part-time workers. They were the ones who were asked questions about professional learning experiences. ↩
- Pew Research reported in September 2015 that in a survey in April 2015 that 22% of those 16 and older had used a library website. This emerged in a survey where the question wording had been changed from previous samples. The wording in that 2015 survey covered whether people had used “a public library website or app.” That might have affected respondent answers. In the current survey, we returned to the previous wording that involved asking about whether someone had “used a public library website.” A separate question was asked about using a “public library app” and found that 9% had used one in the previous 12 months. ↩
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About Pew Research Center Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping the world. It conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, media content analysis and other empirical social science research. Pew Research Center does not take policy positions. It is a subsidiary of The Pew Charitable Trusts .
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Case Study: Red Hook (N.Y.) Public Library: One Small Win Creates Huge Ripples of Change
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Location: Red Hook, N.Y. | Staff Size: 5.4 FTE | Service Area: 14,000 Ì Download PDF
- By leading Community Conversations and listening to residents, the Red Hook LTC team realized they could address a problem and improve how the community worked together by fixing the town’s stoplight. Choosing to act on this was a critical decision; it sent a signal that change was possible and that people’s concerns mattered.
- People were so energized by the forward progress that they wanted to keep going. The library is now working with residents and other partners to establish a community center.
- The LTC team’s efforts have inspired residents to get involved in ways they weren’t before. The library is playing a convening role, but in many cases, residents are developing solutions to problems.
The Village of Red Hook, New York—population 1,961—sits about 100 miles north of New York City near the Catskills and Hudson River Valley. It is home to Bard College, a nationally ranked liberal arts college that is the town’s largest employer.
When the discussion around community aspirations began in 2014, most residents reported how much they loved living in this community. A couple of issues quickly rose to the top that needed to be addressed, including one iconic one: the town’s only stoplight.
Every day, 14,000 vehicles passed through the light, which sat at the intersection of two state highways. The light’s timing was off, leading to wait times as long as seven minutes. Seeking to avoid the long delay, drivers frequently chose to cut through residential neighborhoods, endangering kids and adults who were walking and riding bikes in the streets.
The light had been a problem as long as people could remember. Everyone knew it, yet the earliest it was expected to be addressed was 2017—three years after this story begins. For a small town, this little traffic light was a big issue. Everyone in town knew it was a problem, but the sense of urgency was never fully communicated to the state. So it sat near the bottom of a long line of state-funded public infrastructure problems.
But a seemingly small act— people coming together in 2015 to talk, share ideas and x a problem—forged a new “can-do” narrative in Red Hook in which residents take ownership of their community in a different way. This substantial change was made possible by the efforts of a small group of leaders, organized by Red Hook Public Library, a small community library with only 4,500 cardholders.
Progress Made
Today, years ahead of schedule, the stoplight is fixed, but that’s just the beginning of this story. The work the library initiated to x the light became a catalyst for a variety of changes in improving the quality of life in Red Hook, making this small community better mobilized, better connected and more prepared to tackle complex challenges. Red Hook Public Library is now working in partnership with community groups, community leaders, Bard College and residents to take on a variety of issues.
- The library is working to establish a community center to give more people opportunities to come together.
- And, seeing the benefits of their work, the library is helping to make connections between groups and encouraging others to take on community engagement work so more people can work toward the betterment of the community.
Being a part of changes like these also marked a big shift for the library.
“[Before, the library] was completely off people’s radars,” said Erica Freudenberger, who became library director in 2010. “It was this musty old building that was best to be avoided.”
The Journey
Freudenberger wanted to change the perception of the library and add more value to the community.
Shortly after being named library director, she started attending local Rotary and chamber of commerce meetings and joined a group of local leaders called Red Hook Together. Started by Erin Cannan, associate director of the Bard College Center for Civic Engagement, Red Hook Together met about every five weeks “as a way to address some of the ‘town and gown’ issues,” Cannan said.
At the first meeting Freudenberger attended, several people said they wished the community had a gathering place to help residents stay more informed about local issues.
“I said, ‘The good news is we have such a place.’ No one knew or believed me,” Freudenberger said. “That wasn’t their experience of the library. It was really about recognizing that we had to change the perception of who we were or what we were in the community. We started partnering with organizations and doing a lot of collaboration.”
For this reason, the library jumped at the chance to be part of the Libraries Transforming Communities (LTC) initiative, a partnership between the American Library Association and The Harwood Institute for Public Innovation, funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. LTC aims to strengthen the role of libraries in helping communities solve problems and work together more effectively. As part of the initiative, Harwood trained and coached 10 library teams, made up of library staff and community partners. Over two years, teams learned to apply Harwood’s Turning Outward approach, a practice or discipline of understanding a community in a deep way and then using that knowledge as a reference point for choices and actions.
Freudenberger said she and the rest of the Red Hook team, which included Cannan, “felt very smug” going into the LTC project, thinking they were used to working collaboratively, listening to the community and getting results.
“We thought we were outwardly focused, but we weren’t,” Cannan said. “We were willing to be partners with people because we wanted to get something out of the partnership. It was transactional.”
After an initial three-day training with The Harwood Institute and ALA in May 2014, Red Hook’s LTC team knew it needed to connect deeper with the community in a way that wasn’t quid pro quo. The group decided to go door-to-door in the small town asking people four basic questions using Harwood’s Ask exercise:
1. What kind of community do you want to live in? 2. Why is that important to you? 3. How is that different from how you see things now? 4. What are some of the things that need to happen to create that kind of change?
Brent Kovalchik, Village of Red Hook deputy mayor and a member of the LTC team, partnered with a Bard student to do most of the canvassing.
Residents welcomed the chance to share, Freudenberger said.
“People were really eager to let us know what they thought,” she said. “To have someone ask them what they thought and listen to what they had to say— that was very powerful.”
People shared many common concerns. They wanted a safer, better connected community. The town’s stoplight surfaced as one concrete way to help make that kind of community a reality.
“The stoplight was a pretty popular response to these questions,” Kovalchik said. “People wanted safe, walkable space and also a vibrant, economically viable village. The traffic light affected both the vibrancy of the village—people were just getting angry at the light—but also increasing the risks of conflicts with motorists and pedestrians.”
“While the mayor and everyone knew it [the stoplight] was a problem, I don’t think they realized to what extent people were really concerned about it,” Freudenberger said. “When we made it clear it was a priority, it became an action item. The mayor’s office got on it.”
The library’s engagement of the community resulted in laser- like attention to this issue. With support from the mayor’s office, the library encouraged people to contact their state representatives and the Department of Transportation and ask them to prioritize fixing the stoplight. The mayor made additional calls to accelerate the repair.
“It empowered people to take action and also encouraged us on the government level to put it up on a higher priority to address,” said Kovalchik. “Now it’s fixed.”
The library never explicitly publicized its role in harnessing community momentum to repair the stoplight.
“It wasn’t about saying, ‘We’re leading the charge’ or taking the credit,” said Freudenberger. “That’s not the point. The point was to make it happen.”
Freudenberger said while she thought she was Turned Outward because she had been engaging with the community since starting her role at the library, she was not.
She is asking different questions now.
“With LTC, we are looking beyond that,” she said. “Instead of thinking of ourselves as separate institutions, we are thinking of ourselves as a large ecosystem and asking, ‘What are the issues in our community? What really matters to people, and what should we be working on?’”
By the time Freudenberger and her colleagues met with other libraries at a gathering in January 2015, she realized a switch in her viewpoint had happened gradually.
“Outreach is when we go out and tell people about all the great stuff we’re doing at the library,” she said. “Engagement is going out and asking people what their dreams are for the community, then identifying what needs to happen in order to achieve those dreams.”
She listened to other library groups describe their outreach.
“I realized that [what they were describing] was exactly where we were seven months ago,” she said. “Our viewpoint had been changing, and it didn’t occur to me until that point.”
Putting the community first, as opposed to focusing first on how to promote the library, has, ironically, elevated the library.
“It’s been very liberating in a lot of ways,” Freudenberger said. “The more valuable we are to the community, the less I have to talk about the library, because other people do. When other people talk about how valuable we are, it’s much more credible than me saying it.”
Kovalchik said the experience of talking to residents through the Ask exercise “opened my eyes to a lot of things. We make decisions on the village level based on what we hear on the streets, but there are also a lot of assumptions.”
“When we are able to bring more people into the process, they feel they have more ownership in what is going on,” he said. “It’s a better way of working.”
Moving Forward
Hearing residents’ concerns about a lack of activities for teens and young adults in the community, the library, Bard College and Red Hook High School teamed up to provide science, technology and programming seminars in the high school, and then on a mobile program that took the program to rural areas without easy access to the library.
Bard students host summer science camps for younger students at the Red Hook library, and the library pays their stipends. The library and college were also part of a community art exhibit meant to appeal to Red Hook’s young adults.
According to the LTC team, the library’s knowledge of the community has become the lens through which they now evaluate their choices about how to support Red Hook. The stoplight started a momentum that transformed the library into a critical player in solving problems throughout the community. They are continuing their efforts to help Red Hook become better connected, including work on developing a community center.
At a Red Hook Together meeting in spring 2015, nearly a year after their LTC training and more than four years after Freudenberger started promoting the library at her first meeting with this group, the conversation was very different.
“Four and a half years ago, everyone was trying to imagine a place where everyone could go, and now at least six or seven of the people [at the meeting] said they wanted their organizations to be more like the library,” she said. “It was huge, a really significant shift that was a really, really cool and amazing moment. That signaled the biggest shift for our library, that the perception had changed that dramatically.”
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New Library World
ISSN : 0307-4803
Article publication date: 11 January 2008
The purpose of this article is to describe the need for and realization of a new kind of interface for searching and obtaining library materials, an interface designed around user needs and decoupled from, though interoperating with, current library systems.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper describes a product that was released in May 2007 – the Primo ® system from Ex Libris – as an example of a new solution for the discovery and delivery of library collections. The paper deals with the issues involved in the design of the product, the way in which the product was built to address the needs of both information seekers and libraries, and the use of usability studies to affirm the overall design and help shape fine points of the interface.
The paper demonstrates how users' expectations, which emanate from the everyday experience on the internet, can be addressed by library software in a way that corresponds to librarians' requirements and suits and libraries' technological infrastructure.
Originality/value
Using a concrete example, this paper demonstrates how the design of a discovery and delivery interface for library materials can satisfy the expectations of users who are accustomed to services on the web and can help libraries attract such users back to the library environment, where they can obtain credible, trustworthy scholarly content.
- Information retrieval
- Customer satisfaction
- User interfaces
Sadeh, T. (2008), "User experience in the library: a case study", New Library World , Vol. 109 No. 1/2, pp. 7-24. https://doi.org/10.1108/03074800810845976
Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2008, Emerald Group Publishing Limited
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See How Kingston Frontenac PL Created a One-Stop Discovery Resource for Patrons
Increasingly, libraries are looking to replace the traditional online catalog with a discovery layer that’s more engaging and visually appealing. A new approach to discovery combines the catalog with the library’s website. Now library users have a single environment to explore not only collections, but also the wide array of services the library offers.
Iguana is a web portal and discovery platform that brings a library’s website and catalog together in one environment. Implemented world-wide, Iguana is becoming the platform of choice for libraries looking to revamp their web presence while providing users a best-in-breed discovery service. At Kingston Frontenac Public Library in Kingston, Ontario, Canada, the library has seen the benefits: more engaged users who explore collections and partake in the many services that the library offers.
Click Here To Download The Iguana Case Study
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Ethan Smith
Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. Lorem Ipsum has been the industry's standard dummy text ever since the 1500s, when an unknown printer took a galley of type and scrambled it to make a type specimen book.
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