IMLS announces results of study on the Internet’s impact on museums and libraries

InterConnections: The IMLS National Study on the Use of Libraries, Museums and the Internet offers insight into the ways people search for information in the online age, and how this impacts the ways they interact with public libraries and museums, both online and in person. Among the findings:

• Libraries and museums evoke consistent, extraordinary public trust among diverse adult users.
• An explosion of available information inspires the search for more information.
• The public benefits significantly from the presence of museums and libraries on the Internet.
• Internet use is positively related to in-person visits to museums and libraries.
• Museums and public libraries serve important and complementary roles in supporting a wide variety of information needs.

IMLS sponsored this national study through a cooperative agreement with a University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill research team led by José-Marie Griffiths and Donald W. King, recognized leaders in information research. Their findings are based on five surveys of 1,000 to 1,600 adults each that were conducted during 2006.

View a summary of the report : http://interconnectionsreport.org/reports/ConclusionsSummaryFinalB.pdf

View full report : http://interconnectionsreport.org/reports/ConclusionsFullRptB.pdf