An Interesting New Pew Study

A new study by the Pew Research Center announced this week shows that most Americans get their news via multiple platforms.

This news is not surprising given that the media has been reporting on the decline of paper newspapers and magazines for some time.  However, there were a couple of items in the summary of the study that I found interesting in their implications for libraries.

• "The internet is now the third most-popular news platform, behind local and national television news and ahead of national print newspapers, local print newspapers and radio. Getting news online fits into a broad pattern of news consumption by Americans; six in ten (59%) get news from a combination of online and offline sources on a typical day." (emphasis mine.)
  
  
• "In addition, people use their social networks and social networking technology to filter, assess, and react to news. And they use traditional email and other tools to swap stories and comment on them. Among those who get news online, 75% get news forwarded through email or posts on social networking sites and 52% share links to news with others via those means." (emphasis mine.)

What these two items show is that patrons are using the internet to find their information and then using the internet to tell their friends, family, and others.  This focus means that libraries must be online in a variety of ways: e-newsletters, RSS, Facebook, Twitter, etc.  In fact, libraries need to be on anything and everything that their patrons are using online.

However,  the Pew study does not show that people have completely given up on non-digital formats. Again, the study shows six in ten (59%) get news from a combination of online and offline sources on a typical day.  The key here is "online and offline." Essentially libraries can not afford to limit themselves to one particular area of public relations or self-promotion, whether that is online or paper.  The Pew study shows people want both! 

A recent GIS study done for my library (the Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library) found that one of the largest segements of the population currently not using the library (called Green Acres) pefers getting their information in paper form (library brochures, etc.) This finding means that dispite having a diversified digital branch and a large online footprint, the library will not reach these potential patrons without some type of "traditional" media promotion.


I think this study clearly shows that as a profession it is important to focus on both online techologies (2.0 services) and traditional library promotional and service tools.  The pathfinder, while antiquated, isn't quite dead yet.

How does the finding by the Pew study compare to the experiences in your library or community?