The document provides statistical data on the ownership of smartphones, cell phones, e-readers, and tablets among American adults. It highlights the changing nature of reference queries in libraries and includes various research references about the role of libraries in education and information trust. Key findings reveal that a significant percentage of Americans recognize the critical contributions of libraries to community learning and resource utilization.

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.