ResourceBlog Article: Just Released Report, Consumption of Information Goods and Services in the United States

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Monday, 24th November 2003

Just Released Report, Consumption of Information Goods and Services in the United States

Information Services
Source: Pew Internet and American Life Project
Just Released Study, Consumption of Information Goods and Services in the United States
From the news release, Computers and the Internet are encroaching on the TV and the landline telephone as important information and communication tools for a growing number of tech-loving Americans, especially those in their twenties. A new study by the Pew Internet & American Life Project finds that as people surround themselves with the latest technological gadgets and services, the landline telephone plays a less prominent role in their communication routines and the television recedes in importance as an information appliance. According to the report, almost 70% of the U.S. population is not part of the elite group. I was unable to find any mention of libraries or librarians in the document. This report sorts Americans into eight categories:
The Tech Elite
+ Young Tech Elite
+ Older Wired Baby Boomers
+ Wired Generation Xers
+ Wired Senior Men
Lower-tech Groups
+ Young Marrieds
+ Low-Tech Older Baby Boomers
+ Unwired Young Baby Boomers
+ Low-Tech Elderly
I think many of us in the library community often forget that some of our colleagues and many users might not be as technically literate as others in the profession and community are. Some of us who are a bit more "into the technology" also shouldn't forget that it's just a tool not the solution. Perhaps the greatest resource a librarian should be sharing with his or her users is not a database or printed resource but their skills as both an educator and navigator. Of course, a disparity of knowledge in the library profession is also a major issue.

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