Insights from NWLS Digital Services Survey at Northern Waters Library Service August 2021

Digital Services Survey Digital Services Survey Northern Waters Library Service (NWLS) August 2021

Most survey respondents reported having a library card. Do you have a library card? 4% 4% 96% 96% Yes No

Survey respondents came from a diverse representation of all the NWLS-serviced libraries.

Most patrons indicated they use the library on a weekly or monthly basis. How often do you use the library? 42% 42% 35% 35% 19% 19% 4% 4% Weekly Monthly 3-6 times/year 1-2 times/year

Most survey respondents indicated they access digital services for pleasure and entertainment. For what purpose would you access digital services at your home library? (Check all.) Pleasure 61% 61% Work 35% 35% Academics - Self 28% 28% Academics - Family Member 30% 30%

Motivations for accessing digital services differed by racial and ethnic background. For what purpose would you access digital services at your home library? (Check all.) Asian American Indian/Alaskan Native Black Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander White Latinx/Hispanic 68% 68% 63% 63% 58% 58% 56% 56% 53% 53% 48% 48% 47% 47% 47% 47% 46% 46% 43% 43% 42% 42% 37% 37% 36% 36% 35% 35% 32% 32% 31% 31% 30% 30% 30% 30% 29% 29% 29% 29% 27% 27% 27% 27% 25% 25% 22% 22% Pleasure Academics - Self Academics - Family Work

NWLS Library Patrons were most Libby and least mostfamiliar with OverDrive and leastfamiliar with Ancestry. Which of the following services are your aware your library offers? (Check all.) OverDrive/Libby 72% 72% BadgerLink 43% 43% Gale Courses 39% 39% Ancestry 26% 26%

NWLS Library Patrons awareness of existing digital resources varied by county. Which services are you aware your library offers? (Check all that apply.) Ashland Bayfield Burnett Douglas Iron Sawyer Vilas Washburn 85% 85% 81% 81% 80% 80% 77% 77% 74% 74% 73% 73% 71% 71% 63% 63% 58% 58% 55% 55% 54% 54% 54% 54% 51% 51% 47% 47% 45% 45% 43% 43% 42% 42% 42% 42% 42% 42% 41% 41% 39% 39% 38% 38% 38% 38% 36% 36% 34% 34% 25% 25% 24% 24% 23% 23% 23% 23% 22% 22% 22% 22% 16% 16% OverDrive and Libby Badgerlink Gale Courses Ancestry

12% of NWLS Library Patrons indicated they were not not familiar with any of the current digital services. Patrons over 65 were least likely to know about digital services. Age of NWLS Cardholders Not Not Familiar with Digital Services 32% 32% 20% 20% 15% 15% 15% 15% 9% 9% 8% 8% 20-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65+

OverDrive/Libby was the most frequently used digital service with 33% of respondents indicating they used it weekly. How frequently have you used the following services at your library? 3.57 3.57 2.69 2.69 2.67 2.67 2.58 2.58 OverDrive and Libby Badgerlink Gale Courses Ancestry Scale Scale: 1-2 times/year (1) to Weekly (4)

Satisfaction for all digital services was high, with OverDrive/Libby having the highest reported satisfaction. OverDrive/Libby 4.35 4.35 Gale Courses 4.07 4.07 Badgerlink 4.00 4.00 Ancestry 3.97 3.97 Scale: Scale: Dissatisfied (1) to Satisfied (5)

Survey respondents indicated they were most Streaming Video Services as a new digital service area. most interested in % of People Who Selected % of People Who Selected Item as #1 Choice Item as #1 Choice New Service Interest Area Ranking New Service Interest Area Ranking Weighted Average Weighted Average #1 #1 Streaming Video Services 37% 3.72 #2 #2 Always Available eBooks/Audiobooks 29% 3.45 #3 #3 Streaming Music Services 16% 3.09 #4 #4 Digital Daily Newspaper 13% 2.78 #5 #5 Foreign Language Instruction 7% 2.07

While limits on number of items and wait times do impact peoples interest in a service, most respondents indicated they would still be interested in digital services even with such limitations. How do limits on the number of items you can stream or download affect your interest in a service? How do wait times affect your interest in a service? 55% 55% 63% 63% 40% 40% 29% 29% 8% 8% 5% 5% None Some A lot None Some A lot

Most library users reported having access to the internet, a device such as a laptop or smartphone, and a camera and microphone on their device. Which of these do you have reliable access to? (Check all that apply.) Internet 80% 80% Laptop/Smartphone 66% 66% Camera 63% 63% Microphone 62% 62% Streaming TV Service 50% 50% Printer 46% 46%

A persons access to reliable internet varied by county. Douglas Douglas 96% 96% Washburn Washburn 92% 92% Bayfield Bayfield 88% 88% Sawyer Sawyer 86% 86% Ashland Ashland 79% 79% Vilas Vilas 78% 78% Burnett Burnett 68% 68% Iron Iron 56% 56% Reliable Internet Access

Demographically, Whites and Asians were significantly more likely to report having access to reliable internet than other racial and ethnic groups. 79% 79% 76% 76% 67% 67% 51% 51% American Indian or 42% 42% Alaskan Native Hispanic Latinx/ White Asian Black Reliable Internet Access

Survey Respondent Demographics

What is your age? 34% 19% 15% 15% 10% 6% 1% 15-19 20-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65+

What is your race? (Check all.) 77% 9% 7% 4% 2% White American Indian/Native Alaskan Black/African American Asian Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander

What is your gender? 1% 1% 42% 42% 57% 57% Female Male Non-binary

Do you have any dependent children living at home? (Check all.) 57% 19% 18% 6% 4% Younger than 5 5-12 years 13-17 years 18+ living at home No children at home

Which best describes your employment status? Full-time 47% Retired 21% Part-time 15% Self-employed 6% Student 3% Stay-at-home parent 3% Unemployed 2% Disabled 2%

If employed, which best describes your work environment? 51% 30% 20% In person Hybrid Virtual/Remote

What is your approximate, average annual household income (gross)? 27% 26% 19% 13% 8% 5% 2% <$25K $25,000-49,999 $50,000-74,999 $75,000-99,999 $100,000-149,999 $150,000-199,999 $200K+

This presentation was created in partnership with WiLS. To learn more about WiLS consulting services, visit us on the web at www.wils.org.