A survey conducted by the Pew Research Center found that the majority of American adults do not feel overwhelmed by information, contradicting a long-held anxiety about the consequences of “information overload.” Over three-quarters (77%) of respondents like having so much information easily available to them, compared to the 1 in 5 (20%) who feel overwhelmed […]
A recent survey by the Maine State Library shows that librarians are the second most trusted professionals out of the 22 professions studied. The purpose of this research was to determine the perceived trustworthiness of librarians compared to other professions and to assess perceptions of librarians across demographic groups. When asked about their perceptions of […]
A recent Pew survey found that print books remain the most popular method of reading books, despite more options like e-books and audiobooks that are readily available. The results presented in this report came from an annual survey started in 2011 to measure book reading among American adults. In the past year nearly three-quarters (73%) […]
Library Journal’s annual Placements & Salaries 2016 report shows a positive view of the library job market, marked by increasing salaries and full-time employment. The data from this report is drawn from a survey of 2015 LIS graduates. According to the survey results, 2015 graduates were generally successful in finding jobs, with about 4 in […]
A recent study conducted by the Johns Hopkins Institute for Education Policy has shown that a much larger number of students perform above grade level than previously thought. After noticing that “getting students to grade level” was a prevalent goal throughout national education policy, the research team behind this study wanted to figure out how […]
Pew Research recently released their annual report on attitudes of Americans towards their public libraries, Libraries 2016. Alongside a plethora of information detailing who is visiting public libraries and why, Pew also reported on those who are not visiting the library. Among those surveyed, 1 in 5 (19%) said that they have never visited a […]
In the beginning of 2016, Library Journal surveyed 395 public libraries to create the Audiobooks and Public Libraries report. The findings included how often audiobooks are being circulated, the genres that are most popular to collect, and the changing format preference of audiobook patrons. In 2015, audiobook circulation amounted to a little over 1 out […]
Pew Research recently published the results of a survey examining internet use of Latinos and Spanish-dominant Latinos in the United States. Overall, they found that the digital divide that between Latinos and whites is at its narrowest point since 2009, declining from 16% to 5% in 2015. The share of Latino adults who report using […]
The Public Library Association (PLA) recently published the results of their Public Library Data Service Annual Survey. The survey data are from fiscal year 2014 and include finances, resources, service usage, and technology use in public libraries. One finding documented in the report is the recent tendency of libraries to hire more non-MLS staff than […]
The Library Research Service’s latest Fast Facts report summarizes the results of our yearly investigation into the materials that are challenged in public libraries across Colorado. The report details the format, intended audience, reasons, and resolutions of challenges that were reported in the 2015 Public Library Annual Report. The information provided about these challenges help […]
