Pip libraries and_ebook_patrons 6.22.12

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Pip libraries and_ebook_patrons 6.22.12

  1. 1. JUNE 22, 2012Libraries, patrons, and e-books12% of e-book readers have borrowed an e-book from a library. Thosewho use libraries are pretty heavy readers, but most are not aware theycan borrow e-books. Kathryn Zickuhr Research Specialist, Pew Internet Project Lee Rainie Director, Pew Internet Project Kristen Purcell Associate Director for Research, Pew Internet Project Mary Madden Senior Research Specialist, Pew Internet Project Joanna Brenner Web Coordinator, Pew Internet ProjectPew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project1615 L St., NW – Suite 700Washington, D.C. 20036Phone: 202-419-4500http://libraries.pewinternet.org/2012/06/22/libraries-patrons-and-e-books/
  2. 2. Table of ContentsSummary of findings .................................................................... 5 12% of readers of e-books borrowed an e-book from the library in the past year. But a majority of Americans do not know that this service is provided by their local library.............................................. 5 E-book borrowers appreciate the selection of e-books at their local library, but they often encounter wait lists, unavailable titles, or incompatible file formats. ....................................................................... 6 Many Americans would like to learn more about borrowing e-books. .................................................... 6 58% of Americans have a library card, and 69% say that their local library is important to them and their family. ............................................................................................................................................... 6 Library card holders are more than twice as likely to have bought their most recent book than to have borrowed it from a library. Many e-book borrowers purchase e-books, too. ......................................... 7 Library card holders use more technology, and they report that they read more books. ....................... 8 Leading-edge librarians and patrons say that the advent of e-books has produced a major transformation in book searching and borrowing at libraries. ................................................................. 8 Imagining the future of libraries ............................................................................................................... 8 In brief: About this research ..................................................................................................................... 9 Quantitative data .................................................................................................................................. 9 Qualitative material .............................................................................................................................. 9Acknowledgements ...................................................................... 9Part 1: An introduction to the issues surrounding librariesand e-books .................................................................................11 The strained relationship between libraries and publishers .................................................................. 12 The current state of play between libraries and publishers ............................................................... 13 The rise of Amazon ............................................................................................................................. 14 About this research ................................................................................................................................. 15 Quantitative data ................................................................................................................................ 15 Qualitative material ............................................................................................................................ 16Part 2: Where people discover and get their books ..............17 The way people prefer to get books in general: To buy or to borrow? .................................................. 18 Where did the most recent book come from? ....................................................................................... 21 A closer look at libraries ...................................................................................................................... 22pewinternet.org 2
  3. 3. The e-book ecosystem: Where do e-book readers start their search? .................................................. 24Part 3: Library users ...................................................................26 How important are libraries? .................................................................................................................. 27 Library users are more engaged with all kinds of reading ...................................................................... 29Part 4: How people used the library in the past year ............32 Book-borrowing patterns........................................................................................................................ 35 Print books .......................................................................................................................................... 35 Audiobook borrowers ......................................................................................................................... 36 E-book borrowers ............................................................................................................................... 36 Using the library for research ................................................................................................................. 37 Research resources and periodicals.................................................................................................... 37 Get research help from a librarian ...................................................................................................... 38Part 5: Libraries in transition ....................................................42 How patrons’ book-borrowing habits are changing ............................................................................... 42 Librarians: Changes in library holdings ................................................................................................... 43 The changing roles of librarians .............................................................................................................. 44 The move to e-books .............................................................................................................................. 45 Staff training........................................................................................................................................ 45 Patron training .................................................................................................................................... 47Part 6: A closer look at e-book borrowing ..............................48 Overview of responses in our online panel ............................................................................................ 48 Checking out e-books.............................................................................................................................. 49 How they find out about the process ................................................................................................. 49 The checkout process ......................................................................................................................... 50 Borrowing e-books: The good, the bad, and OverDrive ......................................................................... 51 Selection of e-books in libraries .......................................................................................................... 51 Issues patrons have encountered ....................................................................................................... 52 Sidebar: The main questions librarians hear ...................................................................................... 59 How to improve the process for the future ............................................................................................ 59 Sidebar: Librarians and publishers .......................................................................................................... 61pewinternet.org 3
  4. 4. Part 7: Non-e-book borrowers ...................................................63 Why not borrow e-books? ...................................................................................................................... 64 Help and training from librarians ............................................................................................................ 66Part 8: Final thoughts ................................................................70 How patron’s reading habits have changed since reading and borrowing e-books............................... 70 Larger changes in library services ........................................................................................................... 70 The future of libraries ............................................................................................................................. 72 Patrons ................................................................................................................................................ 72 Librarians............................................................................................................................................. 73Methodology ................................................................................75 Reading Habits Survey ........................................................................................................................ 75 Summary ................................................................................................................................................. 75 Design and Data Collection Procedures .................................................................................................. 75 Sample Design ..................................................................................................................................... 75 Contact Procedures............................................................................................................................. 75 Weighting and analysis ........................................................................................................................... 76 Effects of Sample Design on Statistical Inference ................................................................................... 78 Response Rate..................................................................................................................................... 79pewinternet.org 4
  5. 5. Summary of findings12% of readers of e-books borrowed an e-book from the library in the pastyear. But a majority of Americans do not know that this service is provided bytheir local library.Some 12% of Americans ages 16 and older who read e-books say they have borrowed an e-book from alibrary in the past year.Most e-book borrowers say libraries are very important to them and their families and they are heavyreaders in all formats, including books they bought and books lent to them. E-book borrowers say theyread an average (the mean number) of 29 books in the past year, compared with 23 books for readerswho do not borrow e-books from a library. Perhaps more striking, the median (midpoint) figures forbooks reportedly read are 20 in the past year by e-book borrowers and 12 by non-borrowers.But most in the broader public, not just e-book readers, are generally not aware they can borrow e-books from libraries. We asked all those ages 16 and older if they know whether they can borrow e-books from their library and 62% said they did not know if their library offered that service. Some 22%say they know that their library does lend out e-books, and 14% say they know their library does notlend out e-books.These findings are striking because more than three-quarters of the nation’s public libraries lend e-books.1In the general public, even many of those who presumably have an interest in knowing about theavailability of free library loans of e-books are not sure about the situation at their local library:  58% of all library card holders say they do not know if their library provides e-book lending services.  55% of all those who say the library is “very important” to them say they do not know if their library lends e-books.  53% of all tablet computer owners say they do not know if their library lends e-books.  48% of all owners of e-book reading devices such as original Kindles and NOOKs say they do not know if their library lends e-books.  47% of all those who read an e-book in the past year say they do not know if their library lends e-books.1 “Libraries Connect Communities: Public Library Funding & Technology Access Study 2011-2012,” the AmericanLibrary Association and the Information Policy & Access Center (University of Maryland), June 19, 2012.http://www.ala.org/research/plftas/2011_2012pewinternet.org 5
  6. 6. E-book borrowers appreciate the selection of e-books at their local library, butthey often encounter wait lists, unavailable titles, or incompatible file formats.Focusing on those who do borrow e-books from libraries, two-thirds say the selection is good at theirlibrary: 32% of e-book borrowers say the selection at their library is “good,” 18% say it is “very good,”and 16% say it is “excellent.” Some 23% say the selection is only “fair,” 4% say it is “poor,” and 8% saythey don’t know.We asked those who borrowed e-books whether they had experienced several of the difficulties thatcould be associated with such borrowing, and found that:  56% of e-book borrowers from libraries say that at one point or another they had tried to borrow a particular book and found that the library did not carry it.  52% of e-book borrowers say that at one point or another they discovered there was a waiting list to borrow the book.  18% of e-book borrowers say that at one point or another they found that an e-book they were interested in was not compatible with the e-reading device they were using.Many Americans would like to learn more about borrowing e-books.We also asked all those who do not already borrow e-books at the public library how likely it would bethat they might avail themselves of certain resources if their library were to offer them. The results:  46% of those who do not currently borrow e-books from libraries say they would be “very” or “somewhat” likely to borrow an e-reading device that came loaded with a book they wanted to read.  32% of those who do not currently borrow e-books say they would be “very” or “somewhat” likely to take a library class on how to download e-books onto handheld devices.  32% of those who do not currently borrow e-books say they would be “very” or “somewhat” likely to take a course at a library in how to use an e-reader or tablet computer.Those most interested in these services include some groups that librarians are especially eager toreach. African-Americans, Hispanics, and those who live in lower-income households are more likelythan others to say they would be interested in borrowing pre-loaded e-reading devices and take classesabout how to use the devices and download books.58% of Americans have a library card, and 69% say that their local library isimportant to them and their family.Some 58% of those ages 16 and older have a library card, and 69% report that the library is important tothem and their family. Women, whites, and parents of minor children are more likely to have librarycards than other groups, and having a library card is also strongly correlated with educationalattainment: 39% of those who have not completed high school have a library card, compared with 72%of those with at least a college degree. Those living in households making less than $30,000 per year,pewinternet.org 6
  7. 7. those living in rural areas, and adults ages 65 and older are less likely than other groups to have a librarycard.At the same time, African-Americans and Hispanics are more likely than whites to say that the locallibrary is important to them and their families. Overall, 38% of Americans ages 16 and older say that thepublic library is “very important,” and 31% say it is “somewhat important.” Some 17% say it is “not tooimportant,” while 13% say it is “not important at all.” By comparison, some 48% of African-Americanssay the library is very important to them, along with 43% of Hispanics, compared with 35% of whites.When it comes to specific library services, African-Americans are more likely than whites 1) to use thelocal library to get access to historical documents or genealogical records; 2) to use the library to getaccess to databases such as legal or public records; and 3) to use the library to access or borrownewspapers or magazines or journals.Library card holders are more than twice as likely to have bought their mostrecent book than to have borrowed it from a library. Many e-book borrowerspurchase e-books, too.In our December 2011 survey, 78% of those ages 16 and older said they had read a book in the pastyear. We asked those book readers about their borrowing and buying habits.Among those who had read a book in the previous year, 48% say they had bought their most recentbook; 24% borrowed it from a friend; 14% borrowed it from the library; and 13% got it another way.Among library card holders, a similar proportion (47%) say they had bought their most recent book,while 20% borrowed it from a friend, 20% borrowed it from the library, and 12% got it another way.Among those who read e-books, 41% of those who borrow e-books from libraries purchased their mostrecent e-book.We also asked book readers about their general preferences when it came to getting books. Fully 55% ofthe e-book readers who also had library cards said they preferred to buy their e-books and 36% saidthey preferred to borrow them from any source—friends or libraries. Some 46% of library card holderssaid they prefer to purchase print books they want to read and 45% said they preferred to borrow printbooks.When it comes to e-book borrowers, 33% say they generally prefer to buy e-books and 57% say theygenerally prefer to borrow them.The importance of buying books to e-book borrowers is also apparent when it comes to the placeswhere they get book recommendations. Some 71% of e-book borrowers say they get bookrecommendations from online bookstores and websites; 39% say they get recommendations from thestaff at bookstores they visit; and 42% say they get recommendations from librarians.Asked where they look first when they are trying to find an e-book, 47% of those who borrow e-booksfrom libraries say they first look at online bookstores and websites and 41% say they start at their publiclibrary.pewinternet.org 7
  8. 8. Library card holders use more technology, and they report that they read morebooks.Library card holders are more likely to own and use digital devices than those who don’t have cards.Card holders are more likely than others to be internet users (87% vs. 72%), more likely to own a cellphone (89% vs. 84%), and more likely to have a desktop or laptop computer (81% vs. 67%). And they aremore likely than others to say they plan to purchase an e-reader or a tablet computer.Library card holders also report they read more books than non-holders. In the 12 months before ourDecember survey, library card holders report that they read an average (the mean number) of 20 books,compared with 13 books for non-card holders. The median (midpoint) figures for books reportedly readare 10 by library card holders and 5 by non-holders.Leading-edge librarians and patrons say that the advent of e-books hasproduced a major transformation in book searching and borrowing atlibraries.In addition to conducting a representative phone survey, we also solicited thousands of commentsonline from library staff members and library patrons about their experiences in the relatively newworld of e-books and e-book borrowing. Here are some of the main themes in their answers:  Book-borrowing habits are changing. Some of the most avid library users report they are going to library branches less and using the library website more for book and audio downloads. Additionally, patrons’ browsing is moving from in-library catalogs to online searches of library websites. As a result, “routine” traditional library interactions between patrons and librarians are receding in some places as interactions shift to online communications and downloads.  Library holdings are changing. A number of librarians report that some funds for purchasing printed books have been shifted to e-book purchases. Others’ libraries have cut back on other media purchases, such as CD audiobooks, to free up funds for purchases of e-books.  Librarians’ roles are changing. A majority of the librarians who responded to our query said they are excited about the role that e-books have played in their institutions and the way that e- books have added to patrons’ lives. At the same time, many report that much more of their time is devoted to providing “tech support” for patrons—both in their hardware needs and mastering software and the web—and away from traditional reference services. Librarians often are anxious about the new set of demands on them to learn about the operations of new gadgets, to master every new web application, and to de-bug every glitch on a digital device. A notable portion of librarians report they are self-taught techies. Staff training programs often help, but librarians report wide variance in the quality of some training efforts.Imagining the future of librariesPatrons and librarians were fairly uncertain about the exact way that libraries would function in thefuture. Overall, most librarians from our online panel thought that the evolution of e-book readingdevices and digital content has been a good thing for libraries, and all but a few thought that theevolution of e-book reading devices and digital content has been a good thing for reading in general.pewinternet.org 8
  9. 9. Still, there was a strong sense in answers from librarians and users that significant change wasinevitable, even as readers’ romance with printed books persists. Some patrons talked about librarieswith fewer printed books and more public meeting and learning spaces. Some librarians struggled to seepast a murky transition. There was a combination of apprehension and excitement in their answerswithout a clear consensus about the structure and shape of the institution.In brief: About this researchQuantitative dataAll the statistics in this report, including all specific data about various groups, comes from a series ofnationally-representative phone surveys of Americans. They were conducted in English and Spanish, bylandline and cell phone. The main survey, of 2,986 Americans ages 16 and older, was conducted onNovember 16-December 21, 2011, and extensively focused on the new terrain of e-reading and people’shabits and preferences. This work was underwritten by a grant from the Bill & Melinda GatesFoundation.Several other nationally-representative phone surveys were conducted between January 5-8 andJanuary 12-15, 2012 to see the extent to which adoption of e-book reading devices (both tablets and e-readers) might have grown during the holiday gift-giving season, and those growth figures are reportedhere. Finally, between January 20-Febuary 19, 2012, we re-asked the questions about the incidence ofbook reading in the previous 12 months in order to see if there had been changes because the numberof device owners had risen so sharply. In general, however, all data cited in this report are from theNovember/December survey unless we specifically cite the subsequent surveys.Qualitative materialThe qualitative material in this report, including the extended quotes from individuals regarding e-booksand library use, comes from two sets of online interviews that were conducted in May 2012. The firstgroup of interviews was of library patrons who have borrowed an e-book from the library. Some 6,573people answered at least some of the questions on the patron canvassing, and 4,396 completed thequestionnaire. The second group of interviews was of librarians themselves. Some 2,256 library staffmembers answered at least some of the questions on the canvassing of librarians, and 1,180 completedthe questionnaire. Both sets of online interviews were opt-in canvassings meant to draw out commentsfrom patrons and librarians, and they are not representative of the general population or even libraryusers. As a result, no statistics or specific data points from either online questionnaire are cited in thisreport.AcknowledgementsAbout Pew InternetThe Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project is an initiative of the Pew Research Center,a nonprofit “fact tank” that provides information on the issues, attitudes, and trends shaping Americaand the world. The Pew Internet Project explores the impact of the internet on children, families,communities, the work place, schools, health care and civic/political life. The Project is nonpartisan andpewinternet.org 9
  10. 10. takes no position on policy issues. Support for the Project is provided by The Pew Charitable Trusts.More information is available at www.pewinternet.org.Advisors for this researchA number of experts have helped Pew Internet in this research effort:Larra Clark, American Library Association, Office for Information Technology PolicyMike Crandall, Professor, Information School, University of WashingtonAllison Davis, Senior Vice President, GMMBCatherine De Rosa, Vice President, OCLCAmy Eshelman, Program Leader for Education, Unban Libraries CouncilSarah Houghton, Director, San Rafael Public Library, CaliforniaMimi Ito, Research Director of Digital Media and Learning Hub, University of California HumanitiesResearch InstitutePatrick Losinski, Chief Executive Officer, Columbus Library, OhioJo McGill, Director, Northern Territory Library, AustraliaDwight McInvaill, Director, Georgetown County Library, S.C.Bobbi Newman, Blogger, Librarian By DayCarlos Manjarrez, Director, Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation, Institute of Museum and LibraryServiceMayur Patel, Vice President for Strategy and Assessment, John S. and James L. Knight FoundationSharman Smith, Executive Director, Mississippi Library CommissionFrancine Fialkoff, Editor-in-Chief, Library JournalDisclaimer from the Bill & Melinda Gates FoundationThis report is based on research funded in part by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The findings andconclusions contained within are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect positions or policiesof the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.pewinternet.org 10
  11. 11. Part 1: An introduction to the issuessurrounding libraries and e-booksThe emergence of digital content has disrupted industries and institutions that have enjoyed relativelystable practices, policies, and businesses for decades. News organizations, record companies, broadcastand movie producers, and book publishers have all been dramatically affected by the change.So have libraries. Interest in e-books took off in late 2006 with the release of Sony Readers, andaccelerated after Amazon’s Kindle was unveiled a year later. And this public interest prompted manylibraries to offer e-books to borrow, and this patrons’ interest in e-books has only grown over time.For instance, the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library system found several months ago that “circulationof the systems 10,346 electronic volumes is skyrocketing—at the same time that circulation oftraditional materials has been remaining steady or dropping slightly,” according to an article in TheBuffalo News. “In a four-day period after Christmas,” the article reports, “library cardholdersdownloaded 3,028 library-owned electronic titles onto devices including home computers, [cell phones]and digital readers such as NOOKs and Kindles.”2These changes are systemic. There are over 16,600 library buildings in the nation’s 9,000 public librarysystems in the United States, according to the American Libraries Association,3 and some 76% of themnow offer e-books for patrons to borrow—up from 67% last year.4 Though overall use of e-books is stillrelatively low compared to print books and other types of digital content, libraries across the countryhave seen significant growth in patron demand for e-book titles, especially new releases and bestsellers.OverDrive, a global distributor of digital content to library patrons, reported that in 20115:  Its library website traffic more than doubled to 1.6 billion page views and visitor sessions also doubled to nearly 100 million.  Mobile device use increased to 22% of all checkouts. During the year, the OverDrive Media Console (a free e-book and audiobook app) was installed on 5 million devices, up 84% during the year and making the total install base 11 million users. • 35 million digital titles were checked out of libraries in 2011, with 17 million holds on e-books that people were waiting for.The company also reported in March 2012 that more than 5 million visitors viewed 146 million pages in12.6 million visits to the firm’s hosted digital catalog.6 On average, e-book catalogs hosted more than408,000 visits each day. Visitors viewed 11.6 pages and browsed the site for 9 minutes 34 seconds on2 Charity Vogel, “Era of e-books has arrived.” The Buffalo News, January 17, 2012. Accessed January 17, 2012.http://www.buffalonews.com/city/article712552.ece3 http://www.ala.org/tools/libfactsheets/alalibraryfactsheet014 “Libraries Connect Communities: Public Library Funding & Technology Access Study 2011-2012,” the AmericanLibrary Association and the Information Policy & Access Center (University of Maryland), June 19, 2012.http://www.ala.org/research/plftas/2011_20125 http://overdrive.com/news/eBook-Discovery-and-Sampling-Skyrocketing-at-Public-Libraries6 Material available at: http://www.overdrive.com/news/OverDrive-to-Preview-Library-eBook-Data-at-London-Book-Fair-pewinternet.org 11
  12. 12. average. The firm also reported that e-book browsing is an evening activity: Visitors are most activefrom 8-9 p.m. in their respective regions, followed by 7 p.m. and 10 p.m.According to OverDrive, about 60% of those accessing the collection browsed public library e-bookcollections to discover new content, rather than searching for a specific title. Among those browsers,romance was the most popular genre, followed by all fiction, mystery and suspense, historical fiction,and science fiction and fantasy.Libraries are sometimes hard-pressed to keep up with this demand. Extremely long waiting lists forpopular books are common. In Fairfax County in suburban Washington, D.C., for instance, “officials morethan doubled the inventory of e-book copies from 2010 to 2011, to more than 10,000, but demand forthe books tripled in that time,” according to The Washington Post. “Now the average wait time [for an e-book] is three weeks.” On a typical day in early December 2011, about 80% to 85% of the systems e-books are checked out, Elizabeth Rhodes, the collection services coordinator for the Fairfax librarysystem, was quoted as saying. But after the holidays when the number of e-reader owners and tabletcomputer owners exploded, 98% of the collections were spoken for. 7More change is inevitable. There are several major efforts underway to digitize books, especially older,out-of-print, non-copyright protected books, including at Google, the Internet Archive, and HarvardUniversity. And a recent survey of 411 publishers found that 63% plan to publish a digital book in 2012,and 64% said they were primarily interested in publishing non-fiction and technical digital content–asign that publishers see a host of business and educational opportunities for the format and devices thatcan read e-material.8The strained relationship between libraries and publishersThese changes have brought significant tension to the relationship between libraries and majorpublishers. Many publishers are worried about the effect that unlimited library lending of e-books willhave on sales of digital titles and about piracy of digital material. In an open letter to librariansexplaining its switch to limit the number of check-outs a library can offer on an e-book, HarperCollinssaid that its previous policy of “selling e-books to libraries in perpetuity, if left unchanged, wouldundermine the emerging e-book eco-system, hurt the growing e-book channel, place additional pressureon physical bookstores, and in the end lead to a decrease in book sales and royalties paid to authors.”9Similarly, Simon & Schuster’s executive vice president and chief digital officer Elinor Hirschhorn says thatthe company does not make its e-books available to libraries at all because “[w]e’re concerned thatauthors and publishers are made whole by library e-lending and that they aren’t losing sales that theymight have made in another channel.”107 Christian Davenport, “As demand for e-books soars, libraries struggle to stock their virtual shelves.” WashingtonPost, A20, January 14, 2012. See http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/as-demand-for-e-books-soars-libraries-struggle-to-stock-their-virtual-shelves/2012/01/13/gIQAkIOXzP_story.html8 Data Conversion Laboratory (DCL), “Survey Shows That Readers Will Shun Poorly Digitized e-books.” December27, 2011. http://www.dclab.com/press/press_20111227_dcl_digital_publishing_survey.asp9 “Open Letter to Librarians,” HarperCollins, Library Love Fest blog. March 3, 2011.http://harperlibrary.typepad.com/my_weblog/2011/03/open-letter-to-librarians.html10 Randall Stross, “Publishers vs. Libraries: An E-book Tug of War.” New York Times, December 24, 2011.http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/25/business/for-libraries-and-publishers-an-e-book-tug-of-war.htmlpewinternet.org 12
  13. 13. Meanwhile, libraries and their allies argue that library lending of digital works introduces those works toa wider audience and ultimately increases the demand for them. An August 2011 survey of 2,42111adults by Library Journal found “that over 50% of all library users report purchasing books by an authorthey were introduced to in the library,” according to Rebecca Miller, Library Journal’s executive editor.Miller maintained that the findings “[debunk] the myth that when a library buys a book the publisherloses future sales. Instead, it confirms that the public library does not only incubate and support literacy,as is well understood in our culture, but it is an active partner with the publishing industry in buildingthe book market, not to mention the burgeoning e-book market.”12The current state of play between libraries and publishersAt the moment, two of the “big six” publishers, Simon & Schuster and MacMillan, do not sell e-books tolibraries at all or allow any digital library lending of their titles. A third and a fourth, Hachette13 andPenguin, 14 do not generally sell to libraries but are embarking on pilot programs to test models for e-book borrowing. A fifth publisher, HarperCollins, limits library lending to 26 check-outs per e-book, afterwhich libraries may repurchase the title to continue lending it.15 The firm recently ended its relationshipwith OverDrive and is testing a new lending system with the 3M company.16 And the sixth majorpublisher, Random House, places no restrictions on its digital titles.17 At the same time, Random Houserecently raised its prices for e-book sales to libraries so that the cost for some titles as much as tripled.For instance, to purchase a newer title that is available in print as a hardcover will now cost a libraryanywhere from $65-$85, while titles available as paperbacks will generally be in the $25-$50 range.18In general, publishers’ e-book lending restrictions often attempt to mirror the logistics of print lending—for instance, only allowing an e-book to be lent out to one patron at a time through a “one book, oneuser” arrangement. According to a November 2010 survey from Library Journal and School LibraryJournal, “one book/one user” was the standard use license for about four in ten of responding publiclibraries; about one in ten had unlimited access, and another four in ten had both.1911 More about the survey: “The data is being collected with the help of Bowker PubTrack Consumer. The first issuesummarizes the findings of an August 2011 survey pinpointing usage patterns of library patrons, with specialattention to e-book usage. In all, 3,193 people participated in the initial survey, and that number was screened sothat the frequency of ‘library patronage and book buying behaviors were similar to statistically derived norms,’resulting in a sample of 2,421. Responders were all U.S. residents aged 18 and over.”12 Andrew Albanese, “Survey Says Library Users Are Your Best Customers.” Publishers Weekly, October 28, 2011.http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/publishing-and-marketing/article/49316-survey-says-library-users-are-your-best-customers.html13 http://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/e-content/ebooks-promising-new-conversations14 See http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304898704577479174051216172.html15 This circulation limit “was arrived at after considering a number of factors, including the average lifespan of aprint book, and wear and tear on circulating copies.” http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/home/889452-264/harpercollins_puts_26_loan_cap.html.csp16 Penguin recently ended its relationship with OverDrive, and as such has stopped offering e-books and digitalaudiobooks to libraries (until it can find a new distributor). http://paidcontent.org/article/419-penguin-ends-relationship-with-overdrive-no-e-books-in-libraries-at-all/17 http://paidcontent.org/article/419-random-house-will-keep-all-its-e-books-in-libraries-with-a-price-increa/18 “Librarians Feel Sticker Shock as Price for Random House E-books Rises as Much as300%.” http://www.thedigitalshift.com/2012/03/ebooks/librarians-feel-sticker-shock-as-price-for-random-house-ebooks-rise-as-much-as-300-percent/19 According to a survey conducted in August 2010 by Library Journal and School Library Journal, available athttp://www.libraries.wright.edu/noshelfrequired/2011/02/09/library-journal-publishes-library-ebook-survey-results-sample-data-here/pewinternet.org 13
  14. 14. A central issue in these debates is whether libraries own their e-book titles as they do print titles, or ifthey merely lease access to them as they would subscription to an external digital database. Jo Budler,the state librarian of Kansas, recently ended her state’s libraries’ contract with OverDrive over this issue.According to Library Journal, Budler refused to renew the libraries’ contract with OverDrive when thedistribution service attempted not only to significantly raise fees, but also to rewrite the terms of thecontract in such a way that would prevent the libraries from ever transferring their holdings to adifferent provider.20 The State Library of Kansas then decided to transfer the libraries’ existing digitalcontent to a new e-book lending service from technology company 3M, although Budler said that theyfirst had to secure individual publishers’ permission to transfer the titles. (The libraries were able totransfer about two-thirds of their content.)21Similarly, the Douglas County Libraries in Colorado have made agreements with publishers “that willallow the library to purchase outright and manage the digital rights for e-books, furthering the library’seffort to replicate the traditional print purchasing model for electronic content.”22The rise of AmazonPrior to 2011, e-book borrowers were able to check out several formats of e-books from their locallibraries. The formats available were compatible with devices such as Barnes & Noble’s NOOK, the SonyReader, and the Kobo reader, but not Amazon’s Kindle.23 In April 2011, however, Amazon announcedthat it was partnering with OverDrive to allow library patrons to check out Kindle books. Kindle LibraryLending, which became available September 21, 2011, allows library patrons who own Kindles to borrowKindle books from over 11,000 public and school libraries in the United States. It also allows borrowersto make notes in their copy of the e-book and to highlight certain passages; these markups are visibleonly to that user, not other library patrons or Amazon users.24 The service is only available to libraries,schools, and colleges in the U.S.25With Kindle Library Lending, any title the library owns that is available via OverDrive can now bedownloaded by patrons who own Kindles, or who have devices running the Kindle app, such as Androiddevices; iPads, iPod touches, and iPhones; desktop computers, including Macs and PCs; BlackBerrydevices; or Windows Phones. The library patron is technically not downloading the library’s copy of thate-book, but a copy directly from Amazon that corresponds to the library’s title—although the title willstill be “unavailable” to other patrons when it is checked out to a Kindle. This means that libraries do notneed to convert any files from ePub or other formats in order to have those titles available via Kindle.As a result, one controversy surrounding Kindle Library Lending is that library patrons who choose todownload a Kindle e-book are redirected to Amazon’s website, where they must log in with an Amazonaccount (as opposed to completing the entire process within their library’s system). This has raised20 http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/home/891052-264/kansas__state_librarian_argues.html.csp andhttp://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/features/01122012/threats-digital-lending21 http://www.kansan.com/news/2011/nov/01/kansas-libraries-lead-way-e-book-access/ andhttp://www.startribune.com/154308815.html22 http://www.thedigitalshift.com/2011/10/ebooks/douglas-county-libraries-strikes-new-deals-with-publishers-to-own-ebooks/23 http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/21/technology/21amazon.html24 http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20110420005787/en/Amazon-Launch-Library-Lending-Kindle-books25 http://overdriveblogs.com/library/2011/04/20/kindle-library-lending-and-overdrive-what-it-means-for-libraries-and-schools/pewinternet.org 14
  15. 15. questions of privacy, as Amazon is able to track library patrons’ borrowing habits in a way that manylibrarians are uncomfortable with.26Amazon itself has declined to provide exact figures as to its number of overall customers, number ofAmazon Prime members, or number of Kindles sold. A recent press release said only that in December2011, “customers purchased well over 1 million Kindle devices per week.”27About this researchThis report explores the world of e-books and libraries, where libraries fit into these book-consumptionpatterns of Americans, when people choose to borrow their books and when they choose to buy books.It examines the potential frustrations e-book borrowers can encounter when checking out digital titles,such as long wait lists and compatibility issues. Finally, it looks at non-e-book-borrower interest invarious library services, such as preloaded e-readers or instruction on downloading e-books.To understand the place e-reading, e-books, and libraries have in Americans’ evolving reading habits,the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has given the Pew Internet Project a grant to study this shiftingdigital terrain. Libraries have traditionally played a key role in the civic and social life of theircommunities, and this work is aimed at understanding the way that changes in consumer behavior andlibrary offerings might affect that unique relationship between libraries and communities.This report is part of the first phase of that Gates Foundation-funded research. Subsequent reports willcover how people in different kinds of communities (urban, suburban, and rural) compare in theirreading habits and how teens and young adults are navigating this environment. Further down the line,our research will focus on the changing landscape of library services.Quantitative dataThe Pew Internet Project conducted several surveys to complete the work reported here. Allquantitative findings in this report, including all specific numbers and statistics about various groups,come from a series of nationally-representative phone surveys. The first was a nationally-representativephone survey of 2,986 people ages 16 and older between November 16 and December 21, 2011. Thesample was conducted 50% on landline phones and 50% on cell phones and in English and in Spanish. Inaddition, the survey included an oversample of 300 additional tablet computer owners, 317 e-readerowners, and 119 people who own both devices. The overall survey has a margin of error of ± 2percentage points.Beyond our December 2011 telephone survey, we asked a modest number of questions about tabletsand e-readers in two telephone surveys conducted in January on an “omnibus” survey. These surveysinvolved 2,008 adults (age 18+) and were fielded between January 5-8 and January 12-15. Those surveyswere conducted on landline and cell phones and were administered in English. We fielded them todetermine if the level of ownership of e-readers and tablets had changed during the holiday gift givingseason–and in fact it had. We reported that the level of ownership of both devices had nearly doubled in26 http://blog.libraryjournal.com/ljinsider/2011/04/20/after-kindle-lending-the-deluge/27 http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20111229005169/en/2011-Holiday-Kindlepewinternet.org 15
  16. 16. a month–from 10% ownership for each device in December to 19% in January.28 The margin of error forthe combined omnibus survey data is ± 2.4 percentage points.Finally, we asked questions about book reading and ownership of tablets and e-books in a survey fieldedfrom January 20-February 19, 2012. In all, 2,253 adults (age 18+) were interviewed on landline and cellphone and in English and Spanish. The margin of error for the entire sample is ± 2 percentage points.In general, all data cited in this report are from the November/December survey unless we specificallycite the subsequent surveys.Qualitative materialThe qualitative material in this report, including the extended quotes from individuals regarding e-booksand library use, comes from two sets of online interviews that were conducted in May 2012. The firstgroup of interviews was of library patrons who have borrowed an e-book from the library. Some 6,573people answered at least some of the questions on the patron canvassing, and 4,396 completed thequestionnaire. The second group of interviews was of librarians themselves. Some 2,256 library staffmembers answered at least some of the questions on the canvassing of librarians, and 1,180 completedthe questionnaire. Both sets of online interviews were opt-in canvassings meant to draw out commentsfrom patrons and librarians, and they are not representative of the general population or even libraryusers. As a result, no statistics or specific data points from either online questionnaire are cited in thisreport.Throughout this report we quote from individual patrons’ answers about their experiences checking oute-books and their reactions to this relatively new service being offered by libraries. The majority of ourpatron respondents are female, and about half were in their forties or older. Their most commoncommunity type was “a small city or suburb,” followed by “a large metropolitan area or big city.”Among the library staff who completed questionnaires, a strong majority were female. They weregenerally ages 25-64. The most common position title was “librarian,” followed by “director” or “chiefofficer.” The most common community type for their library was a small city or suburb, followed by alarge metropolitan area or big city. About half of the libraries had 50,000 or fewer patrons.28 The results of the omnibus surveys were reported here: http://pewinternet.org/Reports/2012/E-book readers-and-tablets.aspxpewinternet.org 16
  17. 17. Part 2: Where people discover and gettheir booksAs part of our exploration of the new ecosystem of books, we asked respondents in our December 2011survey about the way they discover books and then obtain them. We found that personalrecommendations dominate book recommendations. At the same time, logarithms on websites,bookstore staffers, and librarians are in the picture, too.In our December 2011 survey, we asked all the respondents if they ever got book recommendationsfrom several sources and they reported:  64% of those ages 16 and older said they get book recommendations from family members, friends, or co-workers. Those most likely to cite these sources include: women (70%), whites (67%), those under age 65 (66%), college graduates (82%), those in households earning over $75,000 (81%), parents of minor children (69%), suburban residents (66%), and all types of technology users (tablet owners, e-reader owners, internet users).  28% of those ages 16 and older said they get recommendations from online bookstores or other websites. Those most likely to get online recommendations include internet users who are: women (38%), those ages 30-64 (38%), college graduates (47%), those in households earning more than $75,000 (46%), tablet owners (51%), and e-reader owners (64%).  23% of those ages 16 and older said they get recommendations from staffers in bookstores they visit in person. Those most likely to get recommendations this way include: college graduates (28%), those living in households earning more than $75,000 (30%), parents of minor children (27%), technology owners and users, urban and suburban residents, and those connected to libraries29.  19% of those ages 16 and older said they get recommendations from librarians or library websites. Those most likely to get recommendations this way include: women (23%), 16- and 17-year-olds (36%), college graduates (26%), owners of e-readers (25%), those who have read a printed book in the past year (23%), and those who have listened to an audiobook (37%).We did not specifically ask about the role of professional book critics as a source of book discoverybecause we assumed they would be a source that factored into all these options.Library users and library fans were more likely to cite all these sources of book recommendations,perhaps because they read more than non-library users. Among those who said the local library wasvery important to them and their family, 32% said they got book recommendations from librarians.Library card holders also got recommendations from all these sources at greater levels than non-cardholders (28% vs. 7%).Our online patron respondents said they received recommendations from a variety of sources, with thevast majority saying they get recommendations from family and friends, book reviews, and websiterecommendations.29 Such as library users, library card holders, and those who said the local library was very important to them andtheir familypewinternet.org 17
  18. 18. “If I hit on a genre I like,” one reader on our panel said, “Ill go to Amazon.com, look up a book Ive readand enjoyed, and then look to see what other books Amazon thinks is like the book I just looked up. Ialso use social networking book sites, like Good Reads, to get ideas. I also use recommendations fromFacebook friends as a place to start.” Where people get book recommendations Among Americans ages 16+ Library card holder No card 100% 80% 75% 60% 51% 38% 40% 28% 28% 28% 20% 16% 7% 0% Family, friends, Online bookstore/ Bookstore staff A librarian/ co-workers website library website Source: Dec. 2011 results are from a survey of 2,986 people ages 16 and older conducted November 16-December 21, 2011. The survey was conducted in English and Spanish and on landline and cell phones. The margin of error is +/- 2 percentage points.In addition to friends and family, our online query respondents frequently mentioned book clubs as therecommendation source of their most recent book. Some also turned to browsing (both a library’sphysical stacks and external websites), podcasts, TV and radio reviews, and award lists for morerecommendations.The way people prefer to get books in general: To buy or to borrow?In our December 2011 survey, we found that 78% of Americans ages 16 and older read or listened to abook in the past year. We asked those book readers how, in general, they prefer to get their books, andfound that a majority of print readers (54%) and readers of e-books (61%) say they prefer to purchasetheir own copies of these books rather than borrow them from somewhere else. In contrast, mostaudiobook listeners prefer to borrow their audiobooks; just one in three audiobook listeners (32%)prefer to purchase audiobooks they want to listen to, while 61% prefer to borrow them.pewinternet.org 18
  19. 19. When you want to do the following, do you prefer purchasing your own copy, or borrowing it from a library or some other source? Among Americans ages 16+ who in the past year read print books, e-books, and audiobooks, respectively Purchase Borrow No preference Read a book in print 54% 38% 7% (among print readers) Read an e-book 61% 31% 6% (among e-book readers) Listen to an audiobook 32% 61% 4% (among audiobook listeners) 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% Source: Dec. 2011 results are from a survey of 2,986 people ages 16 and older conducted November 16- December 21, 2011. N for print book readers in the past 12 months= 2,295. N for e-reader owners in the past 12 months=793. N for audiobook listeners in the past 12 months=415. The survey was conducted in English and Spanish and on landline and cell phones.Looking more closely at preferences by format, we find:  Among print readers: Men are more likely than women to want to purchase their books, and print readers in households making at least $75,000 per year are more likely to want to purchase their books than those in lower-income households. Those who own tablet computers or e-readers are more likely than non-owners to want to purchase printed books. Conversely, those who do not own such devices are more likely than owners to want to borrow books.  Among e-book readers: Readers of e-books in households making at least $50,000 per year are more likely to want to purchase their e-books than those in lower-income households. E-reader and tablet owners are considerably more likely than non-owners to say they prefer to buy their e-books.  Among audiobook listeners: There is an interesting division of preferences among audiobooks of different genders, as men are almost equally likely to prefer purchasing their audiobooks (47%) as borrowing them (45%), but women are much more likely to prefer borrowing (74%) to purchasing (19%).Looking specifically at library card holders, we find they are buyers as well as borrowers of books. At thesame time, they are more likely to say they borrow than are the book readers who are non-card holders.Audiobook listeners with library cards are much more likely than others to prefer borrowing theiraudiobooks, and those without library cards are more likely to prefer buying their own copy.pewinternet.org 19
  20. 20. Library card holders are book buyers, too, and are more likely to want to borrow books Among Americans ages 16+ who read print books, e-books, and audiobooks, respectively, the percentage who said they generally prefer to purchase or borrow that type of book Print book readers E-book readers Library card holder No card Library card holder No card 76% 80% 68% 80% 55% 60% 46% 45% 60% 36% 40% 25% 40% 18% 20% 20% 0% 0% Purchase own copy Borrow Purchase own copy Borrow Audiobook listeners Library card holder No card 80% 67% 60% 52% 41% 40% 26% 20% 0% Purchase own copy Borrow Source: Dec. 2011 results are from a survey of 2,986 people ages 16 and older conducted November 16-December 21, 2011. N for print book readers in the past 12 months= 2,295. N for e- book readers in the past 12 months=793. N for audiobook listeners in the past 12 months=415. The survey was conducted in English and Spanish and on landline and cell phones.Our online group of e-book borrowers offered some insight into how they decide whether to borrow orbuy their books. Generally tech-savvy, our respondents are also particularly heavy readers.30 When itcomes to e-book borrowers, 33% say they generally prefer to buy e-books and 57% say they generallyprefer to borrow them.Many respondents in our online panel said they liked to purchase books they might want to re-read orshare with others, especially spiritual and self-help books. Many also preferred to purchase books forreading to children (although others cited their children’s voracious reading appetites as the reason forregular library trips). Graphics-heavy books, reference books, and books that are part of a series werealso frequently mentioned as best for purchasing. At least one student mentioned a preference forpurchasing used books, “so I can highlight and mark pages at will.”30 For instance, about half of our online questionnaire respondents said they read at least 20 print books per year,and about half read at least 11 e-books in the same time frame. And though audiobooks were not as popular asprint or e-books, about half of the respondents had listened to at least on audiobook in that time—alsosignificantly more than the general population we polled in our representative phone surveys.pewinternet.org 20
  21. 21. Finally, some found the permanence of a personal print copy reassuring. “I know that electronic devicescan fail,” one respondent said. “If [a device] does fail, what I once thought was permanent... isnt.”Where did the most recent book come from?We asked book readers about the most recent book they read in any format, print, audio, or e-book:How had they obtained it? Almost half (48%) of readers ages 16 and older said they had purchased it.About a quarter (24%) said they had borrowed it from a friend or family member, and 14% said theyborrowed it from a library. Thinking about the last book you read, in any format, did you... Among Americans ages 16+ who read a book in the past 12 months, the percentage who got their most recent book from each source 60% 50% 48% 40% 30% 20% 24% 10% 14% 13% 0% Purchase it Borrow from Borrow from Other friend/family library Source: Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Reading Habits Survey of 2,986 people ages 16 and older conducted November 16-December 21, 2011. The survey was conducted in English and Spanish and on landline and cell phones. N for people who read a book in any format in the past 12 months=2,474.The profile of those in each category varies:  48% of book readers had purchased the book. Whites (49%) were more likely than minorities to have purchased their most recent book. Those living in households earning more than $75,000 (59%) were more likely than those in lower-income households to have bought their most recent book.  24% had borrowed the book from a friend or family member. Some 30% of African Americans had gotten their most recent book this way, compared with 23% of whites. Those with high school diplomas (29%) were more likely than those with higher education to have borrowed their latest book from family or friends. Those living in households earning less than $75,000 (26%) were more likely than those in households earning more (18%) to have gotten their latest book this way. Some 31% of non-internet users borrowed their most recent book, compared with 22% of internet users. And those who chose to take our survey in Spanish werepewinternet.org 21
  22. 22. considerably more likely than English speakers to have borrowed their most recent book from a family member or friend.  14% had borrowed the book from the library. Fully 37% of the 16- and 17-year-olds in our survey got their most recent book from the library, and 20% of those ages 65 and older followed suit. Those whose most recent book came from the library tended to be those in the least well- off households—those earning $30,000 or less. Non-tech owners—those who don’t have tablets or e-readers or cell phones or internet access—were more likely than tech owners to have gotten their most recent book from the library. Those who are audiobook consumers are particularly likely to rely on the library for their recent books: 24% of those who listened to an audiobook in the past year had borrowed a book from the library, compared with 13% of those who didn’t consume audiobooks.In terms of device ownership, those who own e-readers or tablets are more likely than non-owners tohave bought the last book they read–and they are more likely to say they prefer buying books thangetting them other ways. Some 64% of e-reader owners purchased their last book, compared with 46%of non-e-reader owners. For tablet owners, 59% purchased their last book, compared with 47% of non-tablet owners. Owners of e-readers and tablets have different acquisition behaviors Among Americans ages 16+ who read a book in the past 12 months, the percentage who got their most recent book from each source E-book reader owner Non-owner Tablet owner Non-owner 70% 64% 70% 59% 60% 60% 46% 47% 50% 50% 40% 40% 30% 25% 30% 25% 20% 15% 15% 13% 20% 13% 15% 16% 13% 11% 10% 10% 10% 10% 0% 0% Purchase it Borrow Borrow Other way Purchase it Borrow Borrow Other way from from library from from someone someone library Source: Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Reading Habits Survey of 2,986 people ages 16 and older conducted November 16-December 21, 2011. The survey was conducted in English and Spanish and on landline and cell phones. N for people who read a book in any format in the past 12 months=2,474.Beyond device ownership, those who had read an e-book (on any device) in the previous year were alsomore likely than print readers to have bought their most recent book: 55% of e-book readers hadbought their most recently read book of any format, compared with 49% of print readers.A closer look at librariesAsked where they got the most recent book they read, library card holders are just as likely as non-cardholders to have purchased the book, but much less likely to have gotten it from a family member orpewinternet.org 22
  23. 23. friend and more likely to have obtained it from the library. Overall, some 20% of book readers say theirmost recently read book came from the library.Library card holders are also notably more likely than others to be consumers of other kinds of content,especially material in electronic form: 62% of card holders say they regularly read daily news or a dailynewspaper (vs. 52% of non-card holders) and most of them say they read such material on a computeror handheld device. Some 55% of library card holders regularly read magazines and journals (vs. 39% ofnon-card holders) and 35% of those card-holding readers say they read such material on a computer orhandheld device.Our online panel respondents outlined the complex paths they often take to find and pursue books thatcatch their eye. One respondent read the Hunger Games series along with her 13 year-old daughter:“We got the books from the library after waiting a long time for reserved copies. We loved them somuch that we are going to purchase the whole series tomorrow from the school Scholastic book orderform. Also I have all them on my new iPad Kindle app and my son is now able to start reading them.”Another online panelist wrote that she had found her latest book by chance at the library, which shedescribed as “a complete fluke since I rarely browse physical shelves these days. I have a preschoolerand he rarely stays put still long enough for me to find something while were in the library.” She added,“Usually, I find books in the catalog, go to Amazon to read reviews about it, request books for pickup atmy local branch and then pick them up on our way to the childrens section in the library.” Library card holders have different book-acquiring strategies Among Americans ages 16+ who read a book in the past 12 months, the percentage who got their most recent book from each source Library card holder No card 60% 50% 50% 47% 40% 29% 30% 20% 20% 20% 14% 12% 10% 4% 0% Purchased it Borrowed from Borrowed from Some other way family/friend library Source: Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Reading Habits Survey of 2,986 people ages 16 and older conducted November 16-December 21, 2011. The survey was conducted in English and Spanish and on landline and cell phones. N for people who read a book in any format in the past 12 months=2,474.pewinternet.org 23
  24. 24. Many of our online respondents described how the library fit into their book discovery process as a wayto “try out” new authors and genres before committing to a print purchase. “I like to read new-to-meauthors by borrowing from the library,” one said. “If I enjoy the book, I will then purchase it.” Many ofour online panelists wrote that even when they preferred to borrow a book, they often purchased booksthat had long wait lists or were unavailable at their local library, or if they thought the book would betoo long to finish in the allotted time.The library was also an important source for the many respondents who described themselves asvoracious readers, as it freed their reading habits from the constraints of budget and storage space. Still,there some who buy the book after having read a borrowed copy. The only time I buy a book to keep iswhen I have read it and liked it enough to feel like I want to have it forever and read it again and again,”one wrote.The e-book ecosystem: Where do e-book readers start their search?In our December 2011 survey, three-quarters of people who read e-books (75%) said that when theywant to read a particular e-book, they usually look for it first at an online bookstore or website, while12% said they tend to look first at their public library. When you want to read a particular e-book, where do you look first? Among Americans ages 16+ who read an e-book in the past 12 months 80% 70% 75% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 5% 5% 12% 0% At an online At your public Someplace else Don’t know bookstore/ library website Source: Dec. 2011 results are from a survey of 2,986 people ages 16 and older conducted November 16-December 21, 2011. The survey was conducted in English and Spanish and on landline and cell phones. N for people who read an e-book in past 12 months=793.pewinternet.org 24
  25. 25. Among those who read e-books, men are more likely than women to look first at online booksellers, andwhites are more likely to look online than African Americans. E-book readers with at least some collegeexperience are more likely to look at online booksellers first than those with less education, and e-bookreaders who live in households making at least $50,000 per year are more likely to look online first thanthose making less (who are more likely to say that they don’t know where they would look first).One in twenty e-book readers said that they usually first look for e-books someplace other than anonline bookseller or their public library. It’s possible that among these sources is Amazon’s KindleOwners’ Lending Library (KOLL),31 which allows Amazon Prime members to check out one e-book at atime up to once a month.32 Outside of the Kindle Lending Library, Amazon has an option that allowsKindle e-books to be lent to another individual once for 14 days, although not all titles have this optionenabled.33Even e-book borrowers take their cues from commercial sources. Some 71% of e-book borrowers saythey get book recommendations from online bookstores and websites; 39% say they getrecommendations from the staff at bookstores they visit; and 42% say they get recommendations fromlibrarians.31 http://www.amazon.com/kindleownerslendinglibrary32 “Customers Love Kindle Owners’ Lending Library—KDP Authors and Publishers Benefit.” Amazon.com pressrelease, Business Wire, 12 Jan 2012. http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20120112005567/en/33 Amazon.com Help: Lending Kindle Books. Last accessed June 14, 2012.http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=200549320pewinternet.org 25
  26. 26. Part 3: Library usersOur December 2011 survey showed that 58% of Americans ages 16 and older said they had a librarycard. Library user demographics Among each group of Americans ages 16+, the percentage who say they have a library card % who have a library card All Americans ages 16+ 58% Men 48 Women 67 Race/ethnicity White, Non-Hispanic 59 Black, Non-Hispanic 56 Hispanic (English- and Spanish-speaking) 47 Age 16-17 62 18-29 56 30-49 60 50-64 58 65+ 52 Household income Less than $30,000/yr 50 $30,000-$49,999 62 $50,000-$74,999 60 $75,000+ 65 Educational attainment No high school diploma 39 High school grad 50 Some College 64 College + 72 Geographic location Urban 59 Suburban 61 Rural 48 Parental status Parent of minor child 66 Not a parent 54 Source: Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Reading Habits Survey of 2,986 people ages 16 and older conducted November 16-December 21, 2011. The survey was conducted in English and Spanish and on landline and cell phones.pewinternet.org 26
  27. 27. Women, whites, and parents of minor children are more likely to have library cards than other groups,and having a library card is also strongly correlated with educational attainment: 39% of those who havenot completed high school have a library card, compared with 72% of those with at least a collegedegree. Those living in households making less than $30,000 per year and those living in rural areas areless likely than other groups to have a library card, and seniors ages 65 and older are somewhat lesslikely to have one as well.These findings are in line with the results of a January 2011 ALA/Harris Interactive poll, which found that58% of adults ages 18 and older said they had a library card. (Our survey found 57% of those ages 18 andabove had a card.34)Technology users are more likely to have library cards than non-users. For instance, those who use theinternet are more likely to have a library card than non-internet users (62% vs. 37%); cell users are morelikely to have a library card than non-users (59% vs. 47%); and those who own e-readers (like an originalKindle or NOOK) are more likely to have a library card than non-users (69% vs. 56%). However, tabletowners are no more or less likely to have library cards than non-owners.How important are libraries?Beyond the particulars of library card holding, we asked respondents about the role of the local library intheir life. Almost seven in ten Americans (69%) say that public libraries are important to them and theirfamily: 38% of Americans ages 16 and older say that the public library is “very important,” and 31% say itis “somewhat important.” Some 17% say it is “not too important,” while 13% say it is “not important atall.”Many groups that are less likely to have a library card are also more likely to say that the public library isnot important to their family, including men (compared with women), those who have not completedhigh school (compared with those with higher levels of education), rural residents (compared with urbanand suburban residents), and people without minor children living at home (compared with parents).At the same time, minorities are generally more likely to say libraries are important than whites andminorities are notably more likely to say libraries are very important: Some 48% of African-Americanssay that and 44% of Hispanics say that, compared with 35% of whites. Though the number of Spanish-speaking respondents was relatively small in the sample (89 cases), they were more likely than English-speakers to say the library was very important to them and their families. Fully half (50%) of parentswith minor children say that libraries are very important to them and their families, compared with 35%of non-parents who have that view.On the other hand, the youngest respondents (those 16-17 years old) were substantially less likely thanadults to say that libraries are “very important”—just 13% of this youngest age group say this, comparedwith over a third (39%) of adults ages 18 and older.34 January 2011 Harris Interactive Poll (PDF) http://www.ala.org/ala/research/librarystats/2011harrispoll.pdf andhttp://www.ala.org/news/mediapresscenter/americaslibraries/publiclibrariespewinternet.org 27
  28. 28. How important is the public library to your family? Among Americans ages 16+ in each group, the total percentages of those who said the library was important (“very important” or “somewhat important”) and not important (“not too important” or “not important at all”) Total important Total not important All adults 16+ 69% 30% Men 64% 35% Women 73% 25% Race/ethnicity White, Non-Hispanic 67% 32% Black, Non-Hispanic 73% 25% Hispanic* 75% 23% Age 16-17 54% 45% 18-29 68% 32% 30-49 73% 26% 50-64 68% 31% 65+ 67% 29% Household income Less than $30,000/yr 70% 28% $30,000-$49,999 71% 28% $50,000-$74,999 69% 29% $75,000+ 67% 33% Educational attainment No high school diploma 60% 37% High school grad 68% 29% Some College 70% 29% College + 73% 27% Geographic location Urban 71% 28% Suburban 69% 30% Rural 62% 35% Parental status Parent 80% 19% Not a parent 65% 33% 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100% Source: Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Reading Habits Survey of 2,986 people ages 16 and older conducted November 16-December 21, 2011. The survey was conducted in English and Spanish and on landline and cell phones.pewinternet.org 28
  29. 29. There are others who are particularly likely to say the library is important to them: Those who havelistened to an audiobook in the past year are more likely than others to say libraries are very important(49% vs. 39%). Those who read at least monthly for their own pleasure are also more likely to saylibraries are very important (41% vs. 29%). And those who read monthly to keep up with current eventsare more likely to say libraries are very important (39% vs. 33%).In our survey we asked if respondents had any physical or health conditions that make reading difficultor challenging for them. Some 17% of respondents said they had an issue like that in their lives andthose who have health or physical issues that make reading difficult are more likely than others to saythe library is very important to them—44% vs. 37%.Library users are more engaged with all kinds of readingThose who have library cards and think well of the library’s role in their lives stand out in several waysfrom others. For starters, they are more likely to say their own quality of life is good or excellent.When it comes to technology, library card holders are more connected than those who don’t have cards.They are more likely than others to be internet users (88% vs. 73%), more likely to own a cell phone(89% vs. 84%), and more likely to have a desktop or laptop computer (81% vs. 67%). And they are morelikely than others to say they plan to purchase an e-reader or a tablet computer.Library card holders read more books than non-holders. In the 12 months before our December survey,library card holders say they read an average (the mean number) of 20 books, compared with 13 booksas the mean number of books read by non-card holders. The median (midpoint) figures for books readwere 10 by library card holders and 5 by non-holders.On any given day, those who have library cards are considerably more likely to be reading a book thannon-card holders: In our survey, 53% of card holders said they had read a book “yesterday”—or the daybefore we reached them to take the survey. Some 31% of non-card holders responded yes to thatquestion.These library card holders are also more likely than non-card holders to have read a book in the pastyear in every medium, as shown in the following chart.pewinternet.org 29
  30. 30. Library card holders are more likely to consume books in every format Among Americans ages 16+ who have read a book in each format in the previous 12 months, the percentage who read books in the following formats Library card holder No card 95% 100% 88% 80% 60% 40% 24% 17% 17% 20% 8% 0% Printed book E-book Audiobook Source: Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Reading Habits Survey of 2,986 people ages 16 and older conducted November 16-December 21, 2011. The survey was conducted in English and Spanish and on landline and cell phones. n=2,474 people who read a book in the past 12 months.When it comes to people’s different purposes for reading, library card holders are more likely thanothers to say they read for every reason that we queried in the survey—for pleasure, to keep up withcurrent events, to conduct research on subjects that were personally interesting to them, and for workor school. Card holders are also more likely to read more often for each of those purposes.When asked what they most like about reading, library card holders are similar to other readers, butthey are a somewhat more likely to say they enjoy the escape that reading gives them and chance to usetheir imaginations.pewinternet.org 30
  31. 31. Library card holders read for more reasons Among Americans ages 16+ in each group, the percentage who say they read for each reason Library card holder No card 100% 87% 83% 79% 80% 70% 70% 68% 62% 60% 48% 40% 20% 0% For pleasure Keep up with current Research specific For work or school events topics Source: Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Reading Habits Survey of 2,986 people ages 16 and older conducted November 16-December 21, 2011. The survey was conducted in English and Spanish and on landline and cell phones.pewinternet.org 31
  32. 32. Part 4: How people used the library in thepast yearWe asked respondents if they had used the library in the past year for a variety of purposes, includingresearch, book-borrowing, and periodicals like newspapers and magazines. Some 56% of those ages 16and older said that they had used a public library at least once in the past year for one of the activitieswe queried:  Borrow printed books: 35% of Americans ages 16 and older used their library in the past year to do so. That translates into 48% of all those who read a printed book in the past year. Women who read printed books are more likely than men to borrow them from the library. Even more strikingly, those ages 16-17 are the heaviest print-book borrowing cohort: 64% of the printed- book readers in that cohort borrowed a print book from the library.  Access historical documents or archives or genealogical records: 25% of Americans ages 16 and older used their library in the past year to do so. African-Americans are more likely than others to have done this: 29% used the library this way, compared with 23% of whites and 19% of Hispanics.  Access specialized databases such as legal or public records: 22% of Americans ages 16 and older used their library in the past year to do so. African-Americans are notably more likely than others to use the library for this: 33% have done so, compared with 21% of whites and 18% of Hispanics.  Get research help from a librarian: 20% of Americans ages 16 and older used their library in the past year to do so. Some 29% of African-Americans seek out research assistance from librarians, compared with 18% of whites and 22% of Hispanics.  Access or borrow magazines or journals: 15% of Americans ages 16 and older used their library in the past year to do so. That translates into 30% of those who regularly read magazines and journals. Fully 37% of the African-Americans who regularly read magazines use the library for this, compared with 27% of whites who regularly read magazines and 29% of Hispanics.  Access or borrow newspapers: 14% of Americans ages 16 and older used their library in the past year to do so. That translates into 25% of those who regularly read daily news or newspapers. Some 35% of African-Americans who regularly read news accounts use the library to access news material, compared with 23% of news-consuming whites and 21% of news- consuming Hispanics.  Borrow audiobooks: 4% of Americans ages 16 and older used their library in the past year to do so. That translates into 38% of all those who listened to audiobooks in the past year.  Borrow e-books: 2% of Americans ages 16 and older used their library in the past year to do so. That translates into 12% of all those who read an e-book in the past year.pewinternet.org 32

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