Tuesday, January 16, 2007

Report: Public Libraries & the Internet

"The Chronicle of Higher Education reports that researchers at Florida State University will be able to continue studying Internet use patterns at public libraries for at least 3 more years. A grant to the university's College of Information from the ALA will help to continue it's biennial surveys on the costs and benefits of Internet connectivity.

Here's The Report

The 2006 national study presents findings from both a national survey and
case sites. The national survey provides longitudinal data regarding public library Internet connectivity and public access computing services and resources, but also explores the impacts and benefits that communities derive from public library connectivity. The case sites focused primarily on successfully networked public libraries and the issues, solutions, and approaches that these libraries faced and resolved in order to develop sustainable and high quality public access computing and Internet services.

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Public Libraries and the Internet 2006: Study Results and Findings (1.16 MB)
By John Carlo Bertot, Charles R. McClure, Paul T. Jaeger, & Ryan J. (Sep 2006)
For: The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and The American Library Association

The 2006 report is also available in sections.

There are also two specialized reports thus far regarding the 2006 Public Libraries and the Internet study. These reflect developments in wireless Internet access provided by public libraries as well as the significant roles and contributions public libraries played during the 2004-2005 hurricane seasons in the Gulf States.

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Public Libraries and the Internet 2006: A Special Report on Wireless Access (67 KB)
By John C. Bertot, Charles R. McClure, Paul T. Jaeger, & Lesley Langa. (May 2006)
For: The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and The American Library Association

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Public Libraries and the Internet 2006: A Special Report on Public Libraries and the 2006 Hurricanes (84 KB)
By John C. Bertot, Paul T. Jaeger, Charles R. McClure, & Lesley Langa. (May 2006)
For: The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and The American Library Association

2004

This report presents national and state data from the 2004 Public Libraries and Networked Information Services survey funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the American Library Association. A primary goal of the study was to provide the library community with current information that describes public library activities in the networked environment. The report summarizes findings at the library outlet and system level for all questions on the survey.

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