Comments on: Breaking news: the Internet is useful, people still use libraries

By: Uncontrolled Vocabulary #24 - Librarian-Patron Privilege | Uncontrolled Vocabulary

Sun, 02 Mar 2008 04:38:21 +0000

[...] Information Searches That Solve Problems (Pew Internet) Breaking news: the Internet is useful, people still use libraries (Free Range Librarian) Hype and the biblioblogosphere (Caveat [...]

By: K.G. Schneider

K.G. Schneider — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 20:38:41 +0000

Thanks, cj, I missed the link to the questionnaire. That makes a difference. I agree, Q31 is important — though note also the comment about sample size.

By: Community Media: Selected Clippings - 12/31/07 « Clippings for PEG Access Television

Tue, 01 Jan 2008 18:13:03 +0000

[...] syndrome, which until we had a drug to cure it was merely ants in one’s pants. —> http://freerangelibrarian.com/2007/12/31/breaking-news-the-internet-is-useful-people-still-use-libra... [...]

By: Rapport creëert buzz at Moqub’s bibliotheek van dingen

Rapport creëert buzz at Moqub’s bibliotheek van dingen — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 14:57:52 +0000

[...] zover een biblioblogger, wat zeggen de anderen? Free Range Librarian (K.G. Schneider) in Breaking news: the Internet is useful, people still use libraries doet een [...]

By: cj

cj — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 01:19:37 +0000

Some of the questions that you mention above are answered in more detail in the questionnaire that Pew provides. They do provide a list of ways that the library assisted users (see question 17 – electronic / interactive help mechanism registered a 6% – I am interpreting that as possible electronic /v-ref / IM/ e-mail, but could be a host of things). Interesting to compare the types of assistance that people received at non-library computer sites to libraries (see question 24) – only 1% electronic / interactive help registered.

They also have a list of reasons why people did not use the library after considering it.

Question 31 is possibly the most interesting to me and has me wondering.

http://www.pewinternet.org/pdfs/Topline_Pew_UI_Libraries.pdf

By: K.G. Schneider

K.G. Schneider — Mon, 31 Dec 2007 18:49:37 +0000

I’m guessing tax docs, too… if you’re filing a 1040EZ, whether you do it by hand or computer could be a close tie. (Like envelopes, which I often hand-address.)

By: Jeff

Jeff — Mon, 31 Dec 2007 17:53:01 +0000

The obvious problem with reports like these is that they are under-written by library people. If a library organization sponsored it, they will most likely get the results they want, or spin them to look positive. It holds less weight with my funders when that shows up. Other reports by non-library agencies hold much more weight and get to the right people.

If I were asked about government documents, I would go right for IRS. I get that people still want the paper version of their taxes available at libraries. What other government documents do you encounter?