Mining PEW

Rainie, L.  (2013).  Teens and libraries.  PEW Internet.  Retrieved July 28, 2014      from http://www.pewinternet.org/2013/01/23/teens-and-libraries/


In this presentation, Lee Rainie discusses her research on teens and libraries.  She focuses on 7 different things that she found in this research.  I have listed and briefly summarized these findings below:

1)  Teens live in a different information ecosystem:  Teens are saturated with technology (i.e.: cell phones,  internet, social media, texting, games, etc.)

2)  Teens live in a different learning ecosystem:  Internet has been positive and teens are more independent,  but their attention span is shorter

3)  Teens' reading levels match/exceed adult levels:  Teens are reading more than adults (for research, homework, pleasure)

4)  Teens use libraries and librarians more than others, but don't necessarily love libraries as much:  16-17 year olds use the library more than other groups but other groups think libraries are very important

5)  Teens have different priorities in library services:  They would like to have online book recommendations, "redbox" kiosks to check out, apps, e-books

6)  Teens will behave differently in the world to come:  Their brains will be "wired" differently - this may cause positive or negative cognitive outcomes

7)  The public and teachers recognize this and want libraries to adjust to it:  Search skills and digital literacy is important

Overall, I found this to be a very interesting presentation.  It is true that teens are completely saturated with technology nowadays.   Technological advances have allowed kids to have access to a wide range of information and equipment.  Because of this, I have noticed that kids seem to be much more aware and perhaps seem even smarter than other generations of students that I've had.  In actuality, I think that they only seem smarter but are not actually more intelligent than students I had back in the 1990s or 10 years ago.  Teens nowadays have different needs in libraries because of the change in technology.  But, they still go to libraries to do the same things as kids in the past - read, research, socialize.  In the classroom, we taught research skills in the past, but now we just have to teach these skills in a different way and with different equipment.

Finding #6 above is what I am really wondering about.  I do think that current generations may be "wired" differently.  Will kids be able to or expected to produce more than they are now due to technological advances?  I am not sure what the outcome will be or how different students may be 10-20 years from now.  I guess we'll just have to wait and see.



Presentation Length:  39 pages
Count to date:   107/150 pages