1. The rise of
e-reading
Florida Public Library Directors' meeting
October 12, 2012
Kathryn Zickuhr, Research Analyst
Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project

2. Kathryn Zickuhr
Research Analyst
Pew Research Center’s
Internet & American Life Project
kzickuhr@pewinternet.org
@kzickuhr
@pewinternet
@pewresearch

3. About Pew Internet
• Part of the Pew Research Center, a non-partisan “fact
tank” in Washington, DC
• Studies the social impact of technology
• Does not promote specific technologies or make policy
recommendations
• Data for this talk is from nationally representative
telephone surveys (on landlines & cell phones) of
Americans ages 16 & older; quotes are from online panels
All slides and reports are available at
pewinternet.org

4. About our libraries research
• Goal: To study the changing role of public
libraries and library users in the digital age
• Funded by a three-year, $1.4 million grant
from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
libraries.pewinternet.org

5. RESEARCH TIMELINE
Stage I (August 2011-Fall 2012)
Libraries + new technologies
• The rise of e-reading (April 2012)
• E-books, patrons, and libraries (June 2012)
• The habits of younger library users – NEW
– Includes quotes from young patrons ages 16-29
– Will be available on October 23rd, 2012
• Library use in different community types
(suburban/urban/rural)

6. Tablets and
e-readers

7. Who owns tablets and e-readers?
19% of adults own a tablet
(iPad, Kindle Fire, etc.)
19% of adults own an
e-reader (Kindle, Nook, etc.)
Overall, 29% of adults own
either a tablet or an e-reader
(or both)

8. Who owns tablets and e-readers?
E-reader and tablet ownership
are strongly correlated with
household income, education,
and age.
Women are more likely than
men to own e-readers
Parents are more likely than
non-parents to own tablets

9. Who owns tablets and e-readers?
Ages 18-29 Age 30-49 Ages 50-64 Age 65+
30%
25%
26%
20%
23%
20%
15%
18%
16%
14%
10%
11%
5%
8%
0%
E-readers Tablets
Source: Pew Internet December 2011 survey. Data is for adults ages 18+. libraries.pewinternet.org

10.
What kind of tablet do you own?
% of American adult tablet computer owners age 18+ who own each type of
e-book reader (as of February 2012)
Don’t know 6%
Nook
Color 1% iPad
Motorola Kindle Fire
Xoom 1%
Other 11%
HP Touchpad Samsung Galaxy
2%
HP Touchpad
Samsung
Galaxy 5% Motorola Xoom
Kindle Fire 14% iPad 61%
Nook Color
Other
Don’t know

11.
What kind of e-reader do you own?
% of American adult e-reader owners age 18+ who own each type of
e-book reader (as of February 2012)
Other 3%
Kobo Reader 1%
Don’t Kindle
Pandigital 2% know 9%
Sony Reader 2% Nook
Sony Reader
Pandigital
Nook 22% Kobo Reader
Kindle 62%
Other
Don’t know

12. 41% of tablet owners and
35% of e-reader owners
said they were reading
more since the advent of
e-content
Source: Pew Internet December 2011 survey. libraries.pewinternet.org

13. Americans’
reading habits
and the rise of
e-reading

14. Book reading by age group
% of each age group who have read a book (including print books, e-books,
and audiobooks) in whole or in part in the past 12 months
100%
90%
80% 86% 88%
83%
70% 76% 79% 77%
60% 68%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
16-17 18-24 25-29 30-39 40-49 50-64 65+
Source: Pew Internet December 2011 survey. libraries.pewinternet.org

15. The rise of e-reading
One in five adults has read an e-book in the past year
80%
70%
68%
60%
50%
40%
30%
21%
19%
20%
11%
10%
0%
Print book E-book Audiobook No book
Note: Due to multiple responses, categories do not add up to 100%

16. Who reads e-books?
E-book readers are more likely than
other readers to be:
• Under age 50
• College educated
• Living in households earning $50K+
Other key characteristics:
• They read more books, more often
• More likely to buy their books than borrow
Source: Pew Internet December 2011 survey. libraries.pewinternet.org

17. How e-readers read their e-books
Among all Americans in each age group who read an e-book in the
past 12 months, as of December 2011
60%
50% 55%
40% 46%
41%
38% Ages 16-29
30%
26%
Ages 30+
20% 25% 23%
10% 16%
0%
On a cell On a On an e- On a tablet
phone computer reader
Source: Pew Internet December 2011 survey. libraries.pewinternet.org

18. Which is better for these purposes, a printed
book or an e-book?
Among people ages 16+ who read both an e-book & a print book in the past year
Printed books E-books
100%
81% 83%
80% 73%
69%
60% 53%
43% 45%
40% 35%
25%
19%
20% 13%
9%
0%
Reading with Sharing Reading Having a wide Reading while Being able to
a child books with books in bed selection to traveling or get a book
other people choose from commuting quickly

19. E-books at
libraries

20. How Americans used the library
in the past year
Among Americans ages 16+ who used the library for the following purposes in
the past year
60%
50% 56%
40%
40%
30% 36%
20%
22%
10%
0%
For research (all) To borrow books To borrow Total used the
newspapers / library
magazines
Source: Pew Internet December 2011 survey. libraries.pewinternet.org

21. Library users by age group
Among each group of Americans ages 16+, the percentage who have used
the library in the past year
80%
70%
72%
60%
58% 57% 59%
50% 54% 56%
49%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
16-17 18-24 25-29 30-39 40-49 50-64 65+
Source: Pew Internet December 2011 survey. libraries.pewinternet.org

22. 12% of e-book readers
borrow e-books from
the library
Source: Pew Internet December 2011 survey. libraries.pewinternet.org

23. Have you ever wanted to borrow a particular
e-book from the library and found that...
Among e-book borrowers
Yes No Don’t know
It was not compatible 18% 80% 3%
with your e-reader
There was a waiting list 52% 46% 3%
The library did not carry it 56% 39% 5%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
Source: Pew Internet December 2011 survey. libraries.pewinternet.org

24. 62% of all Americans ages
16 and older, including 58%
of library card holders, say
they do not know if their
library lends e-books.

25. What is the main reason you do not borrow
e-books from your public library?
% of e-book readers who
Reason do not get e-books at the
public library
Inconvenient / easier to get another way 22%
Didn’t know I could / didn’t know library offered e-books 19
Don’t use library / no library nearby 8
No interest / no real need 7
Just found out about it / haven’t had a chance to try it yet 6
E-books still new to me / no time to learn 5
Just never thought to 5
Don’t read a lot / don’t use e-reader much 4
Prefer to own my own copy 4
My library doesn’t offer e-books 4
Prefer print books 3
Poor e-book selection at library 2
Do not have format I need 2
Cumbersome process / wait list / short borrowing period 2
Other 6

26. Among those who do not currently borrow e-books
from libraries, the % who say they would be likely to…
...take a class on how
to use an e-reader or 32%
tablet
...take a class on how
to download e-books
32%
...borrow a pre-loaded
e-reader
46%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50%

27. Among those who do not currently borrow e-books
from libraries, the % who say they would be likely to…
...take a class on how All three ideas
to use an e-reader or
tablet
32% are most
popular with:
African-Americans and
Hispanics
...take a class on how
to download e-books
32% Those under age 65
Those in households
making less than $30k
per year
...borrow a pre-loaded
e-reader
46% Those who had not
completed high school
Parents of minor
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% children

28. What these
changes
[could] mean
for libraries

29. “Our customers are still using
the library but in different ways.
They browse our catalog online,
place reserves on the items they
want, then pick them up at their
location of choice. Many fewer
browse the collection in person,”
– Library staff member

30. “We spend a significant part of
our day explaining how to get
library books onto e-book
readers.”
– Library staff member

31. “It all feels pretty murky. Some
clarity and good advice would
be nice. It’s OK for libraries with
big budgets to plunge into e-
book readers. As a small library
with limited collection funds, we
have to be more careful.”
– Library staff member

32. RESEARCH TIMELINE
Stage II (Spring-Winter 2012)
The changing world of library services
• The evolving role of libraries in communities
– New library services
– People’s expectations of libraries
– “The library of the future”
• The role of libraries in the life of special
populations
– Lower-income users, minorities, rural residents, senior
citizens

33. RESEARCH TIMELINE
Stage III (Fall 2012–Spring 2013)
A closer analysis of who does – and does not – use
libraries
• A “library user” typology, with different user
“types” based on:
• What their local libraries are like
• How they use libraries
• Attitudes about libraries in general
• An updated, in-depth portrait of how teens & young
adults use libraries

34. Imagining the
“librarian of the future”
Aggregator/
Organizer
Network
node
Facilitator
Synthesizer

35. Thank you!
Kathryn Zickuhr
Research Analyst
Pew Internet & American Life Project
kzickuhr@pewinternet.org
@kzickuhr @pewinternet @pewresearch
All data, slides, and reports available at
pewinternet.org