Data supports where library reference services are heading. Presentation for MLA/DLA Joint State Conference May 2016 by Laura Bosley.

1. What does the data
show us?

2. Who are our users?

3. • 64% of American Adults own a smartphone
• 90% of American adults own a cell phone
• 32% of American adults own an e-reader
• 42% of American adults own a tablet computer
Access of Information
(http://www.pewinternet.org/2015/04/01/us-smartphone-use-in-2015/)
(http://www.pewinternet.org/data-trend/mobile/device-ownership/)

4. % of Smartphone Users who Used the Following Features
(http://www.pewinternet.org/2015/04/01/us-smartphone-use-in-2015/)

5. How Americans Use Their Cell Phones
http://www.pewinternet.org/fact-sheets/mobile-technology-fact-sheet/

6. Comparison of Virtual Reference Services

7. Query Type is Changing
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
Subject Search Ready Reference Procedural No Question Holdings Other
2004-2006
2010
(Radford & Connaway, 2013)

8. Journals
• Advanced Technology Libraries (AT/L)
• College & Undergraduate Libraries
• Computers in Libraries
• Internet Reference Services Quarterly
• Journal of Academic Librarianship (JAL)
• Library Journal
• Reference & User Services Quarterly
• The Reference Librarian
• Reference Services Review (RSR)

9. Pew Reports
• Libraries and Learning. (April 2016).
• Lifelong Learning and Technology. (March 2016).
• Libraries at the Crossroads. (September 2015).
www.pewresearch.org

10. American Library Association
• ALA Office for Research and Statistics http://www.ala.org/research/
• State of America’s Libraries (April 2015)
• Transforming Libraries http://www.ala.org/transforminglibraries/

11. Library Quotes from Research
• “Most Americans believe libraries do a decent job of serving the education and learning
needs of their communities and their own families.”
• Lee Rainie, “Libraries and Learning.” Pew Research Center, April 2016, Available at:
http://www.pewinternet.org/2016/04/07/libraries-and-learning/
• “65% [of Americans 16 and older] maintain that libraries contribute to helping people
decide what information they can trust.”
• Horrigan, John. “Libraries at the Crossroads: Pew Research Center, September 2015, Available at:
http://www.pewinternet.org/2015/09/15/2015/Libraries-at-crossroads/
• “69% of [university] students would rather have face to face reference conversations
with librarians”
• Mu, X., Dimitroff, A., Jordan, J., & Burclaff, N. (2011). A survey and empirical study of virtual reference service in
academic libraries. The journal of academic librarianship, 37(2), 120-129.
• “Nearly two-thirds of college students use library resources in their research.”
• Library Research Service, “In EBSCO survey, nearly two-thirds of college students use library resources in their research.”
Weekly Number Series, February 2016, Available at: https://www.lrs.org/2016/02/24/in-ebsco-survey-nearly-two-thirds-
of-college-students-use-library-resources-in-their-research/

12. Bibliography
• “Libraries and Learning.” Pew Research Center, Washington, D.C. (April 7, 2016).
<http://www.pewinternet.org/2016/04/07/libraries-and-learning/>
• “Lifelong Learning and Technology.” Pew Research Center, Washington, D.C. (March 22, 2016).
<http://www.pewinternet.org/2016/03/22/lifelong-learning-and-technology/>
• “Libraries at the Crossroads.” Pew Research Center, Washington, D.C. (September 15, 2016).
http://www.pewinternet.org/2015/09/15/libraries-at-crossroads/
• “State of America’s Libraries.” American Library Association, Chicago, IL. (April 2015).
<http://www.ala.org/news/state-americas-libraries-report-2015>
• “In EBSCO survey, nearly two-thirds of college students use library resources in their research.” Library
Research Service, Denver, CO (February 24, 2016). <http://www.lrs.org/2016/02/24/in-ebsco-survey-nearly-
two-thirds-of-college-students-use-library-resources-in-their-research/>
• Radford, M. L., & Connaway, L. S. (2013). Not dead yet! A longitudinal study of query type and ready
reference accuracy in live chat and IM reference. Library & Information Science Research, 35(1), 2-13.
• “The Smartphone Difference” Pew Research Center, Washington, D.C. (March 1, 2015).
http://www.pewinternet.org/2015/04/01/us-smartphone-use-in-2015/
• Mu, X., Dimitroff, A., Jordan, J., & Burclaff, N. (2011). A survey and empirical study of virtual reference service
in academic libraries. The journal of academic librarianship, 37(2), 120-129.