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The Brave New World of Electronic

Resources

The Brave New World of Electronic

Resources

Lesley WilliamsHead, Information Services

Evanston Public Librarylawilliams@cityofevanston.org

Lesley WilliamsHead, Information Services

Evanston Public Librarylawilliams@cityofevanston.org

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Google: The “good enough” Search

Google: The “good enough” Search

No Human Expertise

Works best for finding specific items rather than broad subject

Results easily manipulated: by advertising, “Googlebombers”

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Wikipedia: The “good enough” Encyclopedia?

31% more errors than the Encyclopedia Britannica

Number of bytes devoted to…The Aeneid - 44,668The Odyssey - 69,450Wagner's Ring cycle - 64,698The Ramayana - 73,226Star Wars - 101,035

Why Use Libraries?

Libraries know local

Librarian expertise saves time

Value added content: you get what you pay for

Taxpayer Return on Investment in Florida Public LibrariesDr. José-Marie GriffithsOctober, 2004

Dr. José-Marie Griffiths

Dean, School of Information and Library Science

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Email: jmgriff@unc.edu

Web: http://ils.unc.edu/sils/

Phone: (919) 962-8368

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Libraries enhance quality of life by saving time and money

• Library users indicated 57.6 million hours or $2.4 billion saved

$2.1 Billion to the Workplace

Public Library Direct Economic Contribution tothe Workplace (total: $2.1 billion)

39%

24%

37%Monetary savings from nothaving to use alternatives(net benefit of $835million)Use of the resources andservices provided by thelibrary (use benefit of $514million)Financial flows to Floridabusinesses (flow benefit of$784 million)

Direct Benefits: $6.0 Billion/year

Total Economic Benefit ofFlorida’s Public Libraries to Individualsby Purpose of Use and to Communities

(total: $6.0 billion)

14%

32%

26%

2%

26%

Work-related

Education

Personal

Recreation

Communities

Florida’s Public Libraries Return $6.54 for every $1.00 Invested

Florida’s Public Libraries are Extensively Used — 94 million In Person and Remote Visits

68 million in-person visits

25.2 million remote Internet connections (not including children or tourists)

Work-Related Uses

Types of Work-Related Uses of Public Libraries(Total: 6.2 million uses)

42%

31%

25%18%

12%

10%

8%7%6%

10%

Research

Start or locate abusinessManagementMarketing/sales

Operations

Legal

Financial

Locate a person

Tax

Other

Personal Uses

3%

4%

5%

5%

5%

10%

12%

17%

17%

22%Other

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25%

Occasional problem

Learn about culture, religion, etc.

Job hunting

Day-to-day needs, e.g., shopping

Correspond with friends

News

Personal finances

Health and wellness

Hobby or work around the home

Percentage of Uses of Florida Libraries forPersonal Information Needs

What Do People Do When They Use Public Libraries Through Remote Internet Connections?

1%

4%

7%

9%

11%

14%

18%

36%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40%

Ordered a photocopy

Online reference via e-mail

Viewed or downloaded e-books

“Ask a Librarian” service

Viewed or downloaded article

Searched online database

Reserved a book

Searched online catalog

Remote Internet Usesof Florida’s Public Libraries

(total: 25.2 million)

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Your Online Library: www.flelibrary.org

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FEL

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Primary Sources for Local History

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Local Events

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The More Things Change…

Customize a Mailing List

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Select City and Yellow Page Category…

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Instant Mailing List

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…Find Resources for a Home Business

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…Instant Business Plan

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…in Spanish!

Corporate Intelligence

Find the top companies in Jacksonville

Jacksonville Companies by Revenue

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A Profile of the Largest

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Corrects Your Test …

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Pinpoint your Strengths and Weaknesses

Look for Famous Floridians

…and Find a Profile

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A Library of Children’s e-books

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In English…

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…or Chinese!

Hundreds of Newspapers

Search for Local Death Notices

A Shelf of Medical Books on Your Desktop

Expert Help Online, Anytime

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Online Products UsedReferenceUSA, from InfoUsa,

Learning Express Library

ProQuest Historical New York Times

Thompson/Gale Biography Resource Center

Thompson/Gale Business Resource Center

Thompson/Gale Gale Virtual Reference Library

Newsbank: America’s Obituaries and Death Notices

Tumblebooks

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Lesley Williams

Evanston Public Library

Evanston IL 60201

Lawilliams@cityofevanston.org

847-448-8646

Thanks!!