In the fall and winter of 2020, New America embarked on a snapshot study to gather data on how--or if--people were discovering, accessing, and using their public libraries during the COVID-19 pandemic, with a focus on materials that libraries made available online. Our findings, which include data from a national survey of 2,620 people, highlight…

Public libraries have long been considered important spaces of adult education and learning. However, major social changes over the past few decades, and the impact these have had on libraries' work, have received little attention. Our three-year cross-national study of libraries in Canada and Britain explored how librarians navigate the discourse…

The constant change in technology, its impact on the electronic information environment and complex library users are forcing academic librarians to majorly change their skill set. Patrons no longer request for physical information but are accessing and retrieving information electronically. This study investigated the current training needs of…

This study aims to examine information literacy (IL) and the use of mobile technologies in the educational sphere by a sample of social sciences undergraduate students (N = 1,390). The study used the MOBILE-APPS questionnaire, which is a scale for measuring students' perceptions regarding information literacy (both the institutional and as a…

To assess their knowledge, use, and attitudes regarding peer-to-peer (P2P) applications, this study surveyed academic librarians (n = 162) via a mail-in survey. Correlations between the sample characteristics (age, gender, year of MLS, type of library job) and P2P knowledge, use, and attitudes were also explored. Overall, academic librarians…

Given that the average librarian is a Boomer and over 50, there is a gap of one to two generations between most of the profession and a growing group of primary users, whom librarians need to understand in order to serve well. The generation in question, which some call Millennials, but this article will refer to as NextGens, is made up of…

With Internet usage in the United States at an all-time high, information technology use in education has continued to increase. Research has shown that many students are utilizing these materials to search out information and assist with completing class assignments. Many college students have described the Internet as a functional tool that…

Examines the digital divide in the United Kingdom and the United States. Topics include the adequacy of government initiatives; findings from the "Barriers to Libraries as Agents of Lifelong Learning" research project; issues related to social class, gender, and age; personal computer ownership; and general use of libraries. (LRW)

This study used data originally gathered about student satisfaction through a survey in fall 1999 at Nova Southeastern University, Florida to determine whether there were differences in the perspectives of students aged 25 years or younger and those aged 26 years and older. At Nova Southeastern, more than 80% of all fall 1999 students were 26 or…