Pew stats: Libraries, their patrons and e-books

According to Pew, a majority of e-book borrowers report that they are heavy readers in all formats, including books they've purchased and books lent to them. In addition, E-book borrowers report that they have read an average of 29 books in the past year, compared with 23 books for readers who do not borrow e-books from a library. Even more interesting is the fact that the median (midpoint) figures for books reportedly read by e-book borrowers were 20 in the past year and 12 by non-borrowers.

Surprisingly, the broader public, not just e-book readers, is generally not aware that they can borrow e-books from libraries with 62% of readers ages 16 and older not knowing if their library offered that service. Twenty-two percent stated that they were aware that their library does lend out e-books, while 14% report that they know their library does not lend out e-books.  According to Pew, more than three-quarters of the nation’s public libraries lend e-books.

When asked their opinion about the selection of ebooks offered by their libraries, two-thirds of library patrons report the selection is good at their library: Thirty-two percent of e-book borrowers report the selection at their library is “good,” 18% say it is “very good,” and 16% say it is “excellent.” Twenty-three percent say the selection is only “fair,” 4% say it is “poor,” and 8% say they don’t know.

Patrons want more information about borrowing ebooks if their library were to offer resources available that made accessing ebooks possible with 46% of those who do not currently borrow e-books from libraries reporting that they would be “very” or “somewhat” likely to borrow an e-reading device that came loaded with a book they wanted to read. Thirty-two percent of those who do not currently borrow e-books say they would be “very” or “somewhat” likely to take a library class on how to download e-books onto handheld devices. Thirty-two percent of those who do not currently borrow e-books say they would be “very” or “somewhat” likely to take a course at a library in how to use an e-reader or tablet computer. Demographics included in this statistics includes African-Americans, Hispanics, and those who live in lower-income households.

Libraries = Recommendations!  Library patrons are reported to be more than twice as likely to have purchased their most recent book than to have borrowed it from the library.  Many of these purchases were made after borrowing the ebook: 48% say they had bought their most recent book; 24% borrowed it from a friend; 14% borrowed it from the library; and 13% got it another way. Fifty-five percent of the e-book readers who also had library cards said they preferred to buy their e-books and 36% said they preferred to borrow them from any source—friends or libraries. Some 46% of library card holders said they prefer to purchase print books they want to read and 45% said they preferred to borrow print books.  Thirty-three percent of E-book borrowers report that they generally prefer to buy e-books and 57% say they generally prefer to borrow them. In addition, 71% of e-book borrowers say they get book recommendations from online bookstores and websites; 39% say they get recommendations from the staff at bookstores they visit; and 42% say they get recommendations from librarians. When looking for an ebook 47% of those who borrow e-books from libraries say they first look at online bookstores and websites and 41% say they start at their public library.

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