newsobserver.com | Web generation uses libraries more than others:
Young adults are the heaviest adult users of public libraries, despite the ease with which they can access a wealth of information over the Internet from the comfort of their homes, according to a new study.
That was the opening paragraph from an article that appeared in today’s Raleigh News & Observer, attributed to Anick Jesdanun of The Associated Press. According to the article, 21% of Americans between the ages of 18 and 30 have turned to their public libraries for information, as opposed to only 12% of the general adult population.
The data comes from a joint study by the Pew Internet and American Life Project and the University of Illinois at Urbanna-Champaign, and indicates that younger adults go to their libraries for “Education-related tasks,” including making decisions about schooling, getting job training. The study also found that Library use drops gradually as the ages increase, with a fairly sharp decline at around 50 years of age.
Lee Rainie, Pew’s director, said, “It was truly surprising in this survey to find the youngest adults are the heaviest library users.”
Wren, 31 Dec 2007. “The Endless Library.” H. Wren’s Photostream. 14 May 2005. <http://flickr.com/photos/hypowren/13897466/>.
It’s the social element – same reasons Meebo, Facebook, and all those sites are popular. We are created for relationship, not for isolation. The younger learners have got it right!
“The age of books isn’t yet over,” while a comforting statement, misses the point of the conflict between the internet and libraries.
The internet isn’t about replacing libraries; it is about changing the way people interact with information. The article mentions that the people visiting the library were researching for a specific question, college, job training, etc. I can remember going to the library because that is where the smart people were.
Today, libraries are more like sporting goods stores, you can go in and find what you are looking for, but the real experts are out in the real world competing.
Just browsing the internet. You have a very, very interesting blog.