OCLC Report: ‘The Library in the Life of the User: engaging with people where they live and learn’

Online Computer Library Center (OCLC) has issued a report on The Library in the Life of the User: engaging with people where they live and learn, brining together the results of research on user behavior and presenting “findings that articulate the need for the design of future library services to be all about the user.”  Research was undertaken by OCLC, Ohio State University, Rutgers, State University of New Jersey, University of North Carolina Charlotte, JISC (UK) and Oxford University. PDF version.

The OCLC offers these highlights from the report:

• People associate the library with books and do not consider the library in relation to online resources or reference services.
• People may not think of using libraries to get their information because they do not know that the services exist and some of the existing services are not familiar or do not fit into their workflows.
• The context and situation of the information need often dictates how people behave and engage with technology.
• Engagement and relationship building in both the online and physical environments is important for the development of successful and effective services.