Digital disparities have been a concern among different communities across the U.S. The lack of an integrated approach to evaluate digital connectivity limits our understanding of where and what the differences are to address digital equity. This research utilized broadband internet open data and other government datasets to evaluate the status of…

A significant number of distance students report they "stray" from their home universities by using local libraries, despite the fact that distance education librarians work hard to provide customized resources and services tailored to their programs and needs. Are public libraries and special libraries able to meet the research needs of…

"ARL Statistics 2007-2008" is the latest in a series of annual publications that describe collections, staffing, expenditures, and service activities for the 123 members of the Association of Research Libraries (ARL). Of these, 113 are university libraries; the remaining 10 are public, governmental, and nonprofit research libraries. Data reported…

This how-to-do-it guide for Oklahoma public libraries to use in evaluating their performance defines the individual performance measures, explains the data collection and analysis procedures, shows example calculations, and discusses the analysis and presentation of the performance measures. The performance measures are presented in terms of the…

This pilot study, which tests an instrument and a procedure for investigating the 16mm film resources network for the public libraries of New Jersey, presents data from a stratified sample of libraries to examine use patterns and scale, as well as the various mechanisms used to make the films available to the public. Where possible, costs and…

Results of this study evaluating library reference service indicate a statistically significant difference at the .05 level between obtrusive and unobtrusive evaluation methods. Library staff answer a greater proportion of questions correctly when they are aware of being evaluated. The 30 questions used, a report form, and references are included.…

Designed to facilitate the rapid comparison of fiscal year 1978 support and activity levels among public libraries in Massachusetts, this report identifies twelve indicators of library support and activity and presents percentage and per capita figures for each municipality. Data are for the twelve-month period ending June 30, 1978, and represent…

Intended for use by library staffs, directors, and trustees, this report of salary and staffing information for Massachusetts public libraries for 1978 is presented in a standardized format to facilitate the identification of comparable libraries and the comparison of salaries and other personnel data. Explanatory notes define the terms used in…

Describes steps taken to improve usage of a public library young adult collection: (1) a survey of students' reading interests and needs; (2) analysis of the collection; (3) comparison of survey results with the collection; and (4) selection of additional titles. An annotated bibliography, the questionnaire, and survey results are appended. (11…

This report describes a pilot project to develop a Cooperative System for Public Library Data Collection, which would enable the Center for Education Statistics (CES) of the Office of Educational Research and Improvement to issue national statistical reports on public libraries by using data collected by state library agencies in their annual…

This document contains statistics and input-output measures for all Colorado public libraries. Tables of the following 1997 survey data are provided: state totals and averages; public library addresses; telephone, fax, and URL for public libraries; public library directors; borrowers, outlets and bookmobiles; ALA-MLS librarians, other staff and…

The purpose of this study was to identify and describe the economic impacts and benefits of Florida public libraries. The study objectives were to: describe the role of public libraries in economic development; identify and describe the range of specific activities and programs engaged in to support economic development; identify factors that…

This study presents a detailed evaluation of the impact and effectiveness of Title I of the Library Services and Construction Act (LSCA), a federal program designed to assist state efforts to develop and improve public libraries, and examines the policy implications of these results as they relate to the future of federal involvement in public…

The purpose of the California State Library-sponsored project, InFoPeople, is to enhance access to information resources by providing points of public access to the Internet in public libraries throughout the state of California. This Stage 1 report represents an initial set of findings and issues related to the InFoPeople project and provides the…

This report provides summary information about public libraries in the 50 states and the District of Columbia for state fiscal year (FY) 2003. It covers service measures such as access to the Internet, number of users of electronic resources, number of Internet terminals used by the general public, reference transactions, public service hours,…