Tag Archives: research

Yesterday, Pew Research Center released “From Distant Admirers to Library Lovers–and beyond,” a study that concentrates on how people feel about and interact with public libraries.   The report creates a typology which “describes nine groups of Americans that reflect different patterns of public library engagement” from Library Lovers, about 10% of the population, and Information Omnivores, 20% of Americans, to Off the Grid, 4%.

The “Summary of Findings” offers a quick look at the typologies and some conclusions about broader trends, such as:

• most Americans do not feel overwhelmed by information,
• that library use is often tied to life stage or circumstance, and
• that many people need and want trusted helpers in finding information.

This report is the third in a trilogy of studies on libraries.  The first report, “The Rise of e-reading” was released in April 2012, the second, on library services, came out in January 2013.