ala od survey

© 2012 OverDrive Inc.Survey conducted online June 13 – July 31, 2012 at U.S. public library websites.

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eBook survey hosted by OverDrive and American Library Association (ALA)

1. State of residency:

Response

PercentResponse

Count

Alabama 0.8% 583

Alaska 0.5% 394

Arizona 1.4% 1,032

Arkansas 1.0% 737

California 7.2% 5,428

Colorado 2.7% 2,031

Connecticut 1.0% 761

District of Columbia 0.1% 94

Delaware 0.3% 214

Florida 7.2% 5,422

Georgia 2.6% 1,977

Hawaii 0.5% 366

Idaho 0.5% 395

Illinois 3.0% 2,289

Indiana 2.8% 2,108

Iowa 1.5% 1,137

Kansas 0.3% 237

Kentucky 1.5% 1,130

Louisiana 1.8% 1,384

Maine 0.8% 581

Library eBook Survey hosted by OverDriveand American Library Association (ALA)


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Maryland 0.9% 684

Massachusetts 2.6% 1,977

Michigan 3.4% 2,578

Minnesota 3.4% 2,590

Mississippi 0.3% 203

Missouri 2.4% 1,799

Montana 0.6% 436

Nebraska 1.2% 878

Nevada 0.5% 392

New Hampshire 1.2% 883

New Jersey 1.5% 1,165

New Mexico 0.6% 417

New York 8.0% 6,007

North Carolina 0.9% 689

North Dakota 0.1% 48

Ohio 4.7% 3,545

Oklahoma 1.8% 1,378

Oregon 2.7% 2,003

Pennsylvania 4.0% 2,990

Rhode Island 0.7% 556

South Carolina 1.7% 1,257

South Dakota 0.3% 256

Tennessee 2.6% 1,938

Texas 5.6% 4,256

Utah 0.8% 627

Vermont 0.1% 104


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Virginia 4.3% 3,204

Washington 5.2% 3,947

West Virginia 0.2% 186

Wisconsin 0.0% 29

Wyoming 0.1% 62

answered question 75,384

skipped question 1

2. Gender:

Response

PercentResponse

Count

Female 78.4% 59,109

Male 21.6% 16,275


skipped question 1


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3. Age:

Response

PercentResponse

Count

13-17 3.0% 2,255

18-29 8.6% 6,517

30-39 16.7% 12,578

40-49 20.1% 15,136

50-64 34.9% 26,304

65-70 9.8% 7,403

71+ 6.9% 5,191


skipped question 1

4. OPTIONAL: What is your household income, including all earners in your household?

Response

PercentResponse

Count

$ 20,000 - $29,000 9.7% 5,460

$30,000 -$ 49,000 16.2% 9,121

$50,000 - $59,000 11.0% 6,185

$60,000 -$ 74,999 14.9% 8,419

$75,000 - $99,999 18.7% 10,561

$100,000 - $149,000 18.9% 10,649

$150,000 + 10.7% 6,019


skipped question 18,971


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5. OPTIONAL: What is the highest level of education you have completed?

Response

PercentResponse

Count

Less than High School 1.9% 1,332

High School / GED 6.7% 4,759

Some College 17.4% 12,386

2- or 4-Year College Degree 40.9% 29,133

Postgraduate Degree (Master’s,Professional, etc.)

33.1% 23,574




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6. How did you learn about downloading eBooks from your library? Please check all that apply.

Response

PercentResponse

Count

Link from library’s website 52.6% 34,206

Library’s online catalog 22.4% 14,603

Promotional materials in the library 15.8% 10,260

Librarian 18.3% 11,891

News article / Blog 10.8% 7,031

TV / Radio 1.3% 871

Digital Bookmobile 0.8% 516

Recommendation from a friend or family member

20.7% 13,470

Other 3.5% 2,290

Other (please specify)

5,465




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7. What do you feel are the benefits of using the library's download service? Please check all that apply.

Response

PercentResponse

Count

Convenience 90.5% 58,883

Free 91.8% 59,737

24/7 access 85.8% 55,810

Selection of titles 23.7% 15,393

Compatibility with devices 49.7% 32,352

Ease of use 56.0% 36,440

Accessibility for the visually impaired

4.1% 2,697


1,808



8. How long have you been downloading eBooks from your library?

Response

PercentResponse

Count

This is my first time 9.2% 6,004

0-1 month 5.4% 3,519

1-3 months 10.7% 6,940

3-6 months 19.1% 12,458

More than 6 months 55.5% 36,136




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9. What device(s) do you use to read eBooks from the library? Please check all that apply.

Response

PercentResponse

Count

Desktop or laptop PC 20.2% 13,162

Desktop or laptop Mac 4.2% 2,753

eBook Reader (e.g., Kindle®,Sony® Reader™, Barnes &

Noble nook™)83.5% 54,307

Smartphone (e.g., iPhone, Android, BlackBerry)

19.3% 12,531

Tablet (e.g., iPad®, Galaxy) 18.7% 12,182

Other 1.7% 1,076


2,770



10. Has your digital borrowing (eBooks, audiobooks, etc.) from the library increased or decreased over the past 6 months?

Response

PercentResponse

Count

Increased 60.4% 39,267

Decreased 6.8% 4,431

Stayed the same 32.8% 21,359




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11. Which statement best describes your average use of the library?

Response

PercentResponse

Count

I visit the physical library but am new to downloading eBooks.

11.1% 7,217

I both visit the physical library and download eBooks from the

library.53.1% 34,577

I rarely or never visit the physical library but download eBooks from

the library.31.2% 20,323

I rarely or never visit the physical library and am new to downloading

eBooks.4.5% 2,940



12. OPTIONAL: In a typical month, how often do you visit the library (# of visits)?

Response

PercentResponse

Count

Physical branch

94.6% 53,846

Virtual branch

95.4% 54,303



Average # of visits: Physical - 2.4, Digital - 6.9


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13. OPTIONAL: In a typical month, how many books (digital and physical) do you purchase at retail (including audiobooks)?

Response

PercentResponse

Count

Physical books from physical and online booksellers

93.8% 52,011

Digital books (eBooks, audiobooks) from online

booksellers

97.8% 54,216



14. OPTIONAL: Have your book purchases increased or decreased over the past 6 months?

Increased Decreased Stayed the same

Physical books 4.1% (2,228) 43.4% (23,614) 52.5% (28,517)

Digital books 43.5% (23,828) 12.7% (6,962) 43.7% (23,938)

answered question

skipped question

15. If a digital audiobook or eBook is unavailable in the library's digital collection or there is a wait time, would you consider purchasing it from an online retailer?

Response

PercentResponse

Count

Yes 53.1% 34,516

No 46.9% 30,541



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Response

PercentResponse

Count


93.8% 52,011


booksellers

97.8% 54,216





Physical books 4.1% (2,228) 43.4% (23,614) 52.5% (28,517)

Digital books 43.5% (23,828) 12.7% (6,962) 43.7% (23,938)

answered question

skipped question


Response

PercentResponse

Count

Yes 53.1% 34,516

No 46.9% 30,541



Average # of books purchased: Physical - 1.0, Digital - 2.2

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Response

PercentResponse

Count


93.8% 52,011


booksellers

97.8% 54,216





Physical books 4.1% (2,228) 43.4% (23,614) 52.5% (28,517)

Digital books 43.5% (23,828) 12.7% (6,962) 43.7% (23,938)

answered question

skipped question


Response

PercentResponse

Count

Yes 53.1% 34,516

No 46.9% 30,541




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16. Have you ever purchased a book (physical or digital) after borrowing that title from the library?

Response

PercentResponse

Count

Yes 35.3% 22,941

No 64.7% 42,116



17. How do you find or discover books to read? Please check all that apply.

Response

PercentResponse

Count

Recommendations from family / friends

75.5% 49,086

Public Library 57.5% 37,387

Reviews (newspaper, magazines, online)

74.3% 48,332

Store recommendations 21.2% 13,767

Other 8.0% 5,186


13,999




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18. Please rank your preferred source for books (1 = most preferred, 6 = least preferred):

1 2 3 4 5 6Response

Count

Physical bookstore5.8%

(3,775)11.4%(7,396)

21.6%(14,046)

19.7%(12,845)

20.1%(13,092)

21.4%(13,901)

65,055

Online bookstore19.7%

(12,791)29.0%

(18,837)17.2%

(11,216)14.0%(9,113)

13.1%(8,525)

7.0%(4,573)

65,055

Public Library60.0%

(39,009)17.3%

(11,261)8.5%

(5,537)4.7%

(3,084)3.8%

(2,487)5.7%

(3,677)65,055

General store with books (e.g., Wal-Mart, Target)

3.6%(2,341)

6.0%(3,897)

12.8%(8,315)

23.5%(15,270)

24.2%(15,726)

30.0%(19,506)

65,055

Second-hand bookstore4.6%

(2,968)13.5%(8,789)

21.0%(13,650)

21.0%(13,663)

20.3%(13,203)

19.6%(12,782)

65,055

Borrow from family / friends6.4%

(4,171)22.9%

(14,875)18.9%

(12,291)17.0%

(11,080)18.5%

(12,022)16.3%

(10,616)65,055



Survey MethodologyThe survey, sponsored by OverDrive with the American Library Association Office for Information Technology Policy, was conducted from June 13 to July 31, 2012 at thousands of US public library websites powered by OverDrive. 75,384 visitors to the libraries’ eBook catalog pages completed all or part of the survey. The survey was intended to provide insights into borrowing and buying behaviors of library eBook readers and is not representative of the US population as a whole. For more information about the survey, please visit the OverDrive Digital Library Blog or contact [email protected].

For more information about OverDrive, please visit www.overdrive.com. For more information about the ALA Office for Information Technology Policy, please visit www.ala.org/offices/oitp.

http://overdriveblogs.com/

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http://www.overdrive.com

http://www.ala.org/offices/oitp

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