Libraries of the Future……Are You Ready?

The Next Library and the People Who Will Use It. (2014, November 13). Retrieved September 21, 2015, from http://www.pewinternet.org/2014/11/13/the-next-library-and-the-people-who-will-use-it/

The Daring Librarian: Who Needs a Librarian When You Have Google? (n.d.). Retrieved September 21, 2015.

Free Image on Pixabay - Shelf, Books, Library, Reading. (n.d.). Retrieved September 21, 2015.

Swiss Army Librarian » Hi, I’m Google. And I’m a Librarian. :: Brian Herzog. (n.d.). Retrieved September 21, 2015.

Pew Research Center is a great resource for libraries. In 2014 a study was done to gain insight on the public library of the future. Lee Rainie was involved with the research and shared the findings at the 2014 AZLA/MPLA Annual Conference.

This research addresses three areas of concern: the library as a place, the library as a connector of people and the library as an information resource. While some of these are common practices of the library today, the mode of delivery will surely change.

What do people think of public libraries?  Do people appreciate public libraries? Well let’s look a little deeper. According to Rainie, 91% say libraries are important to the community and 76% say they are important to them and their families. That is a big high five to libraries. The community sees the value. More importantly, what is the value actually worth? Well here the numbers reflect a different perspective. Participants were asked if the library were closed what impact would that have. A significant number, 63%, said there would be an impact to the community. However, on 29% felt there would be an impact on themselves or their family. This sparks more interest in my mind.

More questions reveal more statistics. So these questions relate to how the consumers feel about the library services. Interestingly enough patrons still connect the library with reading. About 77% strongly felt the public library was important to promote literacy and a love of reading. Some 72% strongly felt it was important for the free access to materials and resources. When asked about improving the quality of life only 69% strongly felt the library did that for them. Lastly, 48% of people strongly felt libraries provide services that unique and hard to find elsewhere. On a positive note, only 11% of people strongly felt that libraries are not keeping up with technology. Sadly, 22% of people strongly agree that people do not need public libraries as they can find information on their own. Surprisingly when asked how confident people are in the library to the community, the library ranks among other areas of interest, it ranks the highest at 63%. The military falls into second place with a 39% of importance. The police rank at 25%.  These are alarming numbers.

Librarians are still people. And people like librarians. When surveyed 98% of library visitors say interactions are very positive. Some 81% say librarians are very helpful. And 50% visitors say they received help from a librarian.

In keeping up with technology, libraries have rebranded as technology centers or hubs. However, 80% of Americans say borrowing books is still very important. Another 80% say reference librarians are very important. While 77% say free access to computers and the internet is very important. About 76% say quiet study spaces are important.

Do patrons really know what a library has to offer? A low 22% say they know all or most of the services. While only 46% say they know some of the services. A whopping 31% say they do not know much or nothing at all about the services the library offers. As few as 50% of Americans age 16 and up have visited a library in the last 12 months. The website use is even smaller with as low 30% using that feature.

The research goes on to identify types of people and how they use the library. Only 30% of the population are highly engaged in the library. Of that 10% are actual library lovers. The characteristics of this group are mostly women with high education who face economic challenges. They are heavy book readers and prefer to borrow in lieu of purchase. However, they do visit bookstores. Approximately 20% are information omnivores. These are high income earners who are seeking information. The next group has a medium engagement with the library. The first group is called the solid center making up 30% of this group. They are mostly male and use both technology and books. The print traditionalists make up the last of this group with 9%. These are the people who still want the book. The low engagement group is next. There is a 4% that says the library is not for them. This tends to be an older group that did not complete a high school education. They are not reading nor using technology. The distant admirers make up 10% of this group. This group knows someone who uses the library and typically have lower levels of education. Lastly, there is the off the grid at 4%. These people are just disconnected with society as a whole. They are older and tend to have low incomes.

Now that we have all this information, what do we do. We need to coordinate public libraries and school libraries. Offer early literacy programs that are free. Create a space that is suited for its purpose. Separate spaces and make spaces more comfortable. Lastly, offer a broader selection of e-books. Make the library more interactive much like a museum. Have more library services online. Keep up with technology so things are automated and do not waste the patron’s time. Make better use of the space. The library does not need to physically house everything. Patrons want reading rooms, tech centers, meeting rooms and cultural events.

Internet and smartphone use is up. Internet use is up to 87% of people are now using the internet compared to just 19 years ago when it was only 14%. Dial-up is almost non existent. Less than 10% of users have dial-up while 70% of users have broadband. In just 14 short years, cell phone usage has gone from 53% to 90% usage. A surprising 61% of all adults are on social media. The internet is common place. Eventually, the internet will be much like electricity. The internet will be a daily part of everyone’s life. The positives include enhanced health, convenience, productivity, safety, and useful information. The downside will be privacy challenges, over-hyped expectations, tech complexity, lagging human adaptation to new realities.

Good news: Reading is alive and well. People are still reading. A large 81% of Individuals 16 years and older are reading. Thirteen is the average number of books read in past 12 months.

There are still areas that libraries need to address:

                Non tech users still need help

                Pre-school programs

                After school programs

                English as a second language programs

                Life long learning opportunities

                Local media – community events

                Assistance for small businesses

                Encourage more discovery

Libraries are continuing to help in these areas:

                Tech experts

                Master teachers in age of lifelong learning

                Visionaries for knowledge

                Experts in sens-making

                Curators of material       

                Monitors of algorithms

                Modelers of lifelong learning

How libraries have evolved:

                Physical space is different and sensored

                Artifacts are connected to data-rich artifacts

                Nodes for “system of system” with databases and media

                Test beds – maker masters

                Community information and media steward – server farms

Libraries as a Community Resource:

                Trusted institution and privacy watchdog

                Advocates for free and open

                Advocates for closing digital divides

                Data and collection repositories

                Entrepreneur enablers

                Civic specialists and gap fillers

All in all, libraries must change with the needs of society. This migration takes time. Libraries exist to service patron and their needs. If the patrons need e-books that is what the library should provide. I am always amazed at how many people are discounting librarians. Many are shocked that a librarian holds a Masters Degree or higher just to hold the position. Twenty five years ago information was slow to find and limited. Librarians were held in high regard. Today information is vast and at our fingertips. There is so much information, a person could be overwhelmed with just one key word search. Today, with more information and technology librarians should be at the top of the list as valuable educators. Instead of eliminating the position of librarians we should be promoting the position. This information provides us data to validate the need for librarians. Patrons believe the library is important and they will use them. We may have to change the way the library is used; however, we still need librarians driving the information bus. After all, librarians are the finders of all information. I will leave you with a couple of thoughts to ponder…….

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