Library Stuff

“The vast majority of parents of minor children — children younger than 18 — feel libraries are very important for their children. That attachment carries over into parents’ own higher-than-average use of a wide range of library services.” (via Pew Internet Libraries)

“Ithaka S+R has conducted its fifth survey of faculty members at four-year colleges and universities in the USA. The latest study looked at a random sample of 5,261 faculty members who replied to questions developed in consultation with an advisory committee of librarians, publishers, and a scholarly society executive. The study examined topics like the importance of libraries to the respondents’ work and their comfort levels with shifting library collections from print to digital. It also looked at the role of e-books, developments in teaching methods, and the factors that shape research topics and projects.” (via Research Information)

“A new white paper published by Springer has revealed a significant increase in e-book pages viewed and a decrease in pages printed. The white paper draws on past studies and a new survey of users at Wellesley College, MA, USA to uncover insights for undergraduate librarians and institutions. The results revealed that 73 per cent of faculty and 70 per cent of students reported having used an e-book. What’s more, compared with the 2007 Wellesley-usage data, the number of unique titles that were accessed jumped by 40 per cent.”( via Research Information)

“In the fall of 2010, UPMC physicians, residents, and nurses were invited to participate in the initial phase of a multi-site survey of the role of library information resources in improving patient care. The results of the full study were recently published.1 In this study, clinicians from 118 hospitals completed an online survey that asked them to think of an occasion when they required additional information for a patient care issue, and to then answer questions about the impact of access to library information resources on patient outcomes for that particular case.”

via HSLS Update

“Scholars up to the age of 35 used to dominate authorship of articles in top economics journals. But a new study finds that the profession — at least as judged by publication — has aged dramatically since the 1960s. And the study also found that while women have made notable gains in top economics journals, those gains lag their growing representation in the discipline.”

via Inside Higher Ed

“The popularity of digital textbooks may have hit a tipping point in 2012 as preference by college students climbed significantly, according to new research from the Book Industry Study Group (BISG)’s ongoing study of Student Attitudes Toward Content in Higher Education. The first installment in Volume Three of the study, powered by Bowker Market Research, shows that students’ preference for print over digital texts dropped from 72 percent in November 2011 to 60 percent in late 2012. During the same period, preference for online homework systems (MindTap, MyLab, McGraw-Hill Connect, etc.) rose from 9 percent to 14 percent. The picture isn’t entirely rosy for digital texts: satisfaction with these works declined in 2012, with only 26 percent of students citing they were “very satisfied” with their digital text, down from 30 percent in 2011.”

via BISG

“Public libraries served 297.6 million people throughout the United States, a number that is equivalent to 96.4 percent of the total U.S. population, according to new research by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). In 2010, there were 8,951 public libraries in the 50 states and the District of Columbia with 17,078 public library branches and bookmobiles. IMLS today released the 2010 Public Libraries in the United States Survey, an analysis of the most comprehensive annual data collection of U.S. public library statistics. Nationally, public libraries have seen reductions in operating revenue, service hours, and staffing. Numbers for circulation, program attendance, and computer use continue to trend upward.”

via IMLS

“In the fourth edition of the Kids & Family Reading ReportTM, a national survey released today, kids age 6-17 and their parents share their views on reading in the increasingly digital landscape and the influences that impact kids’ reading frequency and attitudes toward reading.”

via Digital Book World

“College students view their academic libraries favorably—especially as freshmen. Yet as they advance in their academic careers, undergraduates may be losing esteem for the library as a place that offers unique academic support not found anywhere else on campus, according to LJ’s Patron Profiles: Academic Library Edition. Compiled in conjunction with Design Think Do consulting, Beacon Hill Strategic Solutions, Bowker, and a dedicated advisory board, this stand-alone report asked faculty and students about “actual usage and perceived value of their academic libraries, with an emphasis on products and services both now and in the future, in the context of digital and emerging technology trends.”

via Library Journal.

“Strategic vision and careful management have helped U.S. public libraries weather the storm of the Great Recession, supporting their role as a lifeline to the technology resources and training essential to full participation in the nation’s economy. However, a new report underscores the competing concerns that face America’s libraries: cumulative budget cuts that threaten access to libraries and services, increasing demand for technology training and the chronic presence of the digital divide. More Americans than ever turn to their libraries for access to essential technology services, with 62 percent of libraries reporting that they are the only provider of free computer and Internet access in their community. More than 60 percent of libraries report increased public use of computers and Wi-Fi over the past year. These findings are among the highlights of the 2012 Public Library Funding & Technology Access Study, produced by the American Library Association (ALA) and funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.”

via American Library Association.