Academic, school, and public librarians, and higher education, in general, are always working hard at rejuvenating themselves to meet the needs of their most recent population of incoming students. Hence, looking at some of the characteristics espoused by those conducting research about today’s Net Generation (herein referred to as "NetGeners," meaning young people who have grown up with the Internet) is a logical place to start building a framework and some context for answering questions about the capabilities and habits of today’s students. NetGeners have already started to enter higher education and also represent the near- future of the majority of our traditional-aged higher education student population. Below are 11 characteristics that define NetGeners:

• NetGeners are incredibly articulate, are estimated to have Intelligence Quotients that are 15 to 20 points higher than Baby Boomers, and are being recognized as the smartest generation in history. ¹
• NetGeners with high SAT scores and who also do well academically in higher education typically graduate from school systems that have strong libraries. ²
• NetGeners are multi-taskers who have grown accustomed to changing contexts seamlessly, and they expect this from others. ³
• NetGeners use a "Nintendo" approach to learning by trial-and-error as opposed to conducting careful research. ₄
• NetGeners process information quicker than previous generations and can "make connections and recognize patterns easily instead of following linear thought patterns." ⁵
• NetGeners are accustomed to synchronously and asynchronously connecting with others worldwide and working in virtual teams, which has important implications related to how they access information and solve problems. ⁶
• NetGeners see technology as a friend and not a foe, and it is recommended that educators allow them to create their own computer applications, information-oriented websites and business models. ⁷
• NetGeners do not fear anything that is digital, are constantly connected to information and other people online or through their cell phones, do not read instructional manuals, and demand immediacy. ⁸
• NetGeners are social, but their connection to others does not have to be face-to-face; they frequently practice peer-to-peer learning through friends in their social network; and they prefer a lateral approach to learning as opposed to a hierarchical approach. ⁹
• NetGeners read images much more easily and differently than generations before them. They are basically visual-based learners as opposed to generations before them who are text-based learners. ¹⁰
• Because NetGeners have grown accustomed to rich media that has consistently kept their attention and entertained them since birth, they demand to be engaged in their learning and information-gathering environments. Otherwise they will shut their instructors out. ¹¹

1. Stephen Abram, personal communication, July 2006.
2. Ibid.
3. Chuck Dziuban, Patsy Moskal, and Linda Futch, "Blended Learning: Research Perspectives," Anthony Picciano and Chuck Dziuban, Eds., Needham, MA: Sloan Consortium (in press).
4. Tricia Bisoux, "Rethinking IT," BizEd, (January/February 2002) in Francisca Yonekura, "A Study of Millennial Students and Their Reactive Behavior Patterns in the Online Environment," Dissertation at the University of Central Florida, Department of Educational Studies, Spring 2006, p. 20.
5. Mark Prensky, "Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants" (Part I and Part II), On the Horizon, 9:5, (September-October 2001), and 9:6, (November-December 2001), in Francisca Yonekura, "A Study of Millennial Students and Their Reactive Behavior Patterns in the Online Environment," Dissertation at the University of Central Florida, Department of Educational Studies, (Spring 2006), p. 17.
6. Ibid, p. 18.
7. Ibid, p. 18.
8. Diana Oblinger, "Integrating Tradition and Technology," presentation at the Cornell University Computer Policy and Law Program, Ithaca, NY, February 28, 2006, www.cit.cornell.edu/oit/ucpl.
9. Ibid.
10. Ibid.
11. Marc Prensky, "Engage Me or Enrage Me: What Today’s Learner’s Demand," EDUCAUSE Review, (September/October 2005), p. 61, www.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/erm0553.pdf.