userslib.com

I met my first incoming freshman last week. I was struck by her confidence and maturity. And along with all this library2.0 talk I thought it’d be interesting to look at some user research for both internet users in general as well as college students.

From what I can tell, here’s how the demographics/labels break down:

• Baby Boomers: born in the 1940’s - 1960’s
• Generation X: born in the 1960’s - 1981 (give or take)
• Generation Y (aka “The Millenials,” “The Internet Generation,” “Generation Next,” etc.): born 1982-2000

And just so you don’t have to do any math, here are some tidbits about the incoming college freshmen class of 2011:

• They were born in 1989
• They’ve (more or less) always known the internet, home computers and graphical user interfaces, and mobile phones.
• They were newborns when the first episode of The Simpsons aired, they were 3yrs old when the first episode of MTV’s The Real World aired
• They were 4yrs old when Schindler’s List won an Oscar for best picture, they were 10 when they saw their first Star Wars movie.
• They were newborns when the Berlin wall fell, 5yrs old during the OJ Simpson murder trial, and 12yrs old on Sept. 11, 2001

Here are some great articles & studies:

Tagging Play: Forget Dewey and His Decimals, Internet Users Are Revolutionizing the Way We Classify Information - and Make Sense of It by Lee Rainie, Director, Pew Internet and American Life Project January 31, 200. Link

• According to this Pew study, 27% of internet user have tagged or categorized content online. Services like flickr & delicious are still quickly growing in popularity.
• This article also includes a nice short interview with David Weinberger about the power of tagging.

A Typology of Information and Communication Technology Users by John B. Horrigan, Associate Director for Research, Pew Internet & American Life Project May 7, 2007. Link

• Those surveyed are broken into user type groups to describe their feelings and behavior relating to technology (Omnivores, Connectors, Lackluster Vets, Productivity Enhancers, Mobile Centrics, Connected but Hassled…) I think this is a cool way to distinguish user types other than the typical “expert or novice”
• 37% of internet users generate content (blog, share photos, share videos, post comments, create websites, etc.)
• 41% send text messages on their mobile phone
  

A Portrait of “Generation Next” How Young People View Their Lives, Futures and Politics from the Pew Research Center Released: January 9, 2007. Link

Survey respondents ages 18-25:

• Said that they use a social networking website (54%)
• Said that in the last 24 hours they had:
  • sent/received email (50%)
  • sent/received text message on mobile phone (51%)
  • sent/received instant message (29%)

Born with the Chip: The next generation will profoundly impact both library service and the culture within the profession by Stephen Abram & Judy Luther — Library Journal, 5/1/2004. Link

• The Millenials know Google and expect everything to be as simple as Google. Our recent attempts at federated searching are a good start, but it’s still way too complicated! How are they supposed to know when to search the library website, the OPAC, eJournals list, or the federated article engine?
• The Millenials communicate constantly. Many of them have or use laptops, pda’s, mp3 players, cell phones, blackberries, IM, profiles on social networking sites, etc. I’m not sure they want us there (or know they want us there), but we might want to be there just in case.
• Content and technology are inseparable. Millenials have grown up communicating on the web (blogs, chatrooms, IM, email) and they equate technology with information.
  

College Students Perceptions of Libraries and Information Resources, Online Computer Library Center, 2006. Link

• 87% of college students have been to a college library in person, and 61% of college students surveyed have used a library Web site.
• 2% of students selected Library websites as the source used to begin an information search.
• 52% of college students responded that the quality of assistance they received from the librarian was the same as the search engine.
• 87% are aware that their library has a library Web site, 86% an online library catalog, and 71% online reference materials. 47% are aware their library has electronic books, 45% are aware that it has an online librarian question service, and 62% are aware that it has electronic periodicals and online databases

More Resources & Links

• Trendspotting blog: market and user research
• Convenience, Communications, and Control: How Students Use Technology by Robert B. Kvavik — Educause
• Wikipedia article on Generation Y
• Higher Education Research Institute’s The American Freshman - National Norms for 2006