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Libraries Connect Communities: Public Library Funding & Technology Access Study 2008–2009 assesses public access to computers, the Internet, and Internet-related services in U.S. public libraries, and the impact of library funding changes on connectivity, technology deployment, and sustainability. The study builds on the longest-running and largest study of Internet connectivity in public libraries begun in 1994 by John Carlo Bertot and Charles R. McClure.
The report provides information that can help library directors and library IT staff benchmark and advocate for technology resources in communities across the nation. The data are also of importance for policymakers at local, state, and federal levels, manufacturers of information and communication technologies, and the communities served by public libraries.
Public libraries, be counted! Take the 2009-2010 Survey!
Press Resources
Libraries Connect Communities 2008-2009 Press Kit
Media Mentions - media coverage from NPR, Library Journal, USA Today, and more.
Additional Press Releases
Final 2008-2009 Report
Libraries Connect Communities 3: Public Library Funding & Technology Access Study 2007-2009 (pdf)
Sections:
Contents and Acknowledgements (pdf)
Executive Brief (pdf)
John Carlo Bertot, Larra Clark, Denise M. Davis, Charles R. McClure
Funding Landscape (pdf)
Denise M. Davis
SECTION I: Findings from the Public Libraries and the Internet 2008–2009 Survey
John Carlo Bertot, Charles R. McClure, Denise M. Davis, Elise Jensen, Susan Thomas, Carla B. Wright
Overview (pdf)
2008-2009 State Summaries Page
SECTION II: Findings from the State Library Agency Chief Officers’ Qualitative Questionnaire (pdf)
Larra Clark
SECTION III: Findings from Focus Groups and Site Visits (pdf)
Larra Clark, Peggy Barber, Linda K. Wallace
Appendices + Index (pdf)
Online Extras
2008-2009 Maps
Public Library Funding & Access Study: Executive Brief Handout (pdf, published October 2009)
Librarian certification requirements, by state
Public library staff technology competencies
Public library trustee handbooks or manuals supplied by state libraries
Survey Questionnaire
2008-2009 Public Libraries & the Internet survey questionnaire (pdf)
Additional information about Public Libraries & the Internet from the Center for Library & Information Innovation at the University of Maryland - including additional state-level data.
For more information on the Public Library Funding and Technology Access Study or questions about the content on this page, please contact the Office for Research & Statistics.
ALA Store - Libraries Connect Communities
