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| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Recurso educativo Open Access |
| Language: | en |
| Published: |
2004
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ703366 |
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Table of Contents:
- Born with the Chip:The next Generation Will Profoundly Impact Both Library Service and the Culture within the Profession Abram, Stephen Luther, Judy Librarians Library Services Age Differences Users (Information) Learning Processes Internet Electronic Libraries Information Technology Access to Information Beliefs Given that the average librarian is a Boomer and over 50, there is a gap of one to two generations between most of the profession and a growing group of primary users, whom librarians need to understand in order to serve well. The generation in question, which some call Millennials, but this article will refer to as NextGens, is made up of people born between 1982 and 2002. At 81 million they form the largest population group since the Boomers at 87 million. The expectations and behaviors of this group will have a significant impact on the nature of the services that public and academic libraries need to plan and provide. This article is based on individual research, some of which is unpublished or proprietary. It is also informed by certain recent key studies published by the Pew Internet & American Life Project, OCLC, Ontario Libraries Strategic Directions Council, Digital Library Federation, Council on Library and Information Resources, Outsell, and others. Although NextGens despise and reject labeling and the authors recognize there are exceptions based on individuality and the remaining digital divide, they have identified nine aspects of the behavior of NextGens that they believe differentiate this group from its predecessors. They represent fundamental differences in the use of information, personal interactions, and social values. The nine impact factors identified in this article provide insights into the coming generation: their expectations for using information (format agnostic, nomadic, multitasking); their learning behaviors (experiential, collaborative, integrated); and their beliefs (principled, adaptive, direct). We must prepare this generation for the real issues of the world they will live through, not the one we encountered. We must focus on helping them develop the ability to evaluate sources of information effectively to ensure that they can determine the quality of information upon which they will base life decisions. This next generation will challenge libraries in ways undreamt of today, likely in ways greater than the challenge of the Internet. .