Previous Studies

Since 1994, ten Public Libraries and the Internet national surveys have been conducted.  The National Commission on Libraries and Information Science (now defunct), the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), the American Library Association (ALA), and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation have funded the surveys over the years.  Since 2006, the Center for Library & Information Innovation at the University of Maryland, Information Institute at Florida State University, and the American Library Association, with funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, have partnered to conduct the Public Library Internet surveys as part of the larger Public Library Funding and Technology Access Study (PLFTAS).

As part of the larger study, the American Library Association issues a book each year entitled Libraries Connect Communities.  The 2006-2007 book is available here, and the 2007-2008 book is available here.  ALA will publish the 2008-2009 book in September 2009.  The book, however, does not contain all the data tables from the national survey.

There is a Over the years, the survey method and questions have changed, though the survey continues to provide important longitudinal data regarding public library Internet connectivity in the areas of public access workstations, broadband, and Internet-enabled services.

Not all of the survey results are available in electronic format.  Below are links to the studies for which electronic versions are available (note: these are large files in PDF format):

  • Public Libraries and the Internet 2008: Study Results and Findings.  John Carlo Bertot, Charles R. McClure, Carla B. Wright, Elise Jensen, and Susan Thomas.
  • Public Libraries and the Internet 2007: Study Results and Findings. John Carlo Bertot, Charles R. McClure, Susan Thomas, Kristin M. Barton, and Jessica McGilvray.
  • Public Libraries and the Internet 2006: Study Results and Findings.  John Carlo Bertot, Charles R. McClure, Paul T. Jaeger, and Joe Ryan.
  • Public Libraries and the Internet 2004: Survey Results and Findings.  John Carlo Bertot, Charles R. McClure, and Paul T. Jaeger.
  • Public Libraries and the Internet 2002: Internet Connectivity and Networked Services. John Carlo Bertot and Charles R. McClure, with the assistance of Kim M. Thompson. 
  • Public Libraries and the Internet 2000: Summary Findings and Data Tables. John Carlo Bertot and Charles R. McClure.
  • Moving Toward More Effective Public Internet Access: The 1998 National Survey of Public Library Outlet Internet Connectivity. John Carlo Bertot and Charles R. McClure.
  • The 1997 National Survey of U.S. Public Libraries and the Internet: Final Report. John Carlo Bertot and Charles R. McClure.

For more information regarding the surveys, contact Dr. John Carlo Bertot.