Pew Study on Information-Finding Behavior

Three days ago, Pew released a new study: Information Searches that Solve Problems: How people use the internet, libraries, and government agencies when they need help.  The study is available as a 42 PDF.

The big news is that it shows that Generation Y (people aged 18-29) visits the library more than any other age group.  The below statistics also show that library use steadily declines as people age--what can we do about that?  Are we neglecting our senior populations once more?  Is there an opportunity for added outreach here?

• Generation Y (18-30): 62%
• Generation X (31-42): 59%
• Trailing Baby Boomers(43-52): 57%
• Leading Baby Boomers (53-61): 46%
• Matures (62-71): 42%
• After Work (72+): 32%

People were asked to think about their latest information-seeking episode that fit within the scope of the 10 areas pre-defined by the survey (all of which had potential ties to government agencies), and report where they went for help.  People could choose more than one answer.  The results?  Bad for libraries--showing that we are most certainly not in the public's consciousness as an information-finding resources.

• 58%: the internet (at home, work, a public library or some other place)
• 53%: professionals such as doctors, lawyers or financial experts
• 45%: friends and family members
• 36%: newspapers and magazines.
• 34%: government office or agency
• 16%: television and radio.
• 13%: the public library

Come on people.  The television beat us!  Someone would rather turn to CNN than the public library for information on Medicare options, local schools, or finding a new job.  What does that tell us?  I know that libraries do a lot more than provide access to government information, but it is disappointing to see that we fall so very short of our goals of information for all.

I hope that this survey will get public libraries thinking about new ways to get the word out to the public that they provide reference services, offer help finding government (and other) information, and are experts on local resources and agencies.  One suggestion would be to start a Book-A-Librarian service--an advertised service where users can make half-hour or hour-long appointments with librarians on staff to get detailed one-on-one research help (without the stress of having to get to the others next in line at the desk).

Two small rays of happiness for libraries though: 

1. If people did go to the library for help, 64% of them found the outcome successful.  I'm sure we'd like to see a higher number, but that's nothing to sneeze at.
2. Reference isn't dead!  58% of those who turned to the public library with their needs said they used library reference books to get their answers.  Now whether or not they found those on their own or were guided to them by a librarian, it doesn't matter.  They found and successfully used reference books to help them get information.  It's not time to weed that reference collection into oblivion just yet, my friends! 

Other interesting findings include:

• 53% of U.S. adults surveyed said they visited a library in the last year
• Internet users are twice as likely to visit the library as non-Internet users
• 2/3 of library visitors used computers in the library
• 62% of those who used computers viewed library resources, including the catalog, and 65% looked up information on the web
• education-related tasks and problems are what draw people to the public library the most
• the digital divide is having a huge impact on information-finding skills and access

There has already been quiet a flurry of discussion on PubLib and other listservs/Twitter/Facebook/blogs, with a large number of library staff questioning and outright scoffing at the findings that Gen Y citizens use the library more than other age groups.  Given the expanse of that generation--18-29--I have no problem believing the results.  I think it stems from people's misunderstanding of who GenY is.  We're not talking teenagers!  Let's think about this--what group has children who need public library resources for school, or storybooks for bedtime?   Young people in Gen Y (and also Gen X).  To me, that explains at least part of that result--and I would be interested to see if that number has changed over time...if more people in that age group go to the library now than did 20 years ago.

If you want to get a good summary, you can read one of the many articles published about the study, including one from Reuters or one from my library's local paper, the San Jose Mercury News.