http://www.lrs.org/ Research and Statistics about Libraries - Public en-us http://www.lrs.org/blog/rss.xml We've just posted a new Fast Facts: Computer Access and Traditional Library Services. This Fast Facts examines what happens to public library visits, circulation, reference, and program attendance as the number of public access computers rises. Do the "traditional services" decrease as libraries provide more computer access, or do those services increase as well? Go to the Fast Facts page or click on the title above to read more!

A new Field Initiated Study has also been posted: Library Sponsored Events and Programming Promotion Ideas. This came from a question posted on the Libnet listserv by Donna Arment, of the Durango Public Library, regarding promoting library sponsored programs. To read the responses received, click on the title above or go to our Field Initiated Studies page.

-Jamie http://www.lrs.org/blog/viewitem.php?post=318 From ALA:
CHICAGO and#8211; At every turn, news reports and research indicate fairly dramatic changes in U.S. library funding, services and staffing and#8211; most occurring in the last 18 months. According to a new report prepared by the American Library Association (ALA), libraries of all types are feeling the pinch of the economic downturn while managing sky-high use.

Compiled from a broad range of available sources, The Condition of Libraries: 1999-2009 presents U.S. economic trends (2009), and summarizes trends in public, school and academic libraries across several library measures, including expenditures, staffing and services. The report also highlights trends in services provided to libraries by library cooperatives and consortia.
[More at: http://www.ala.org/ala/newspresscenter/news/pressreleases2010/january2010/outlook_ors.cfm]


Report: http://www.ala.org/ala/research/initiatives/Condition_of_Libraries_1999.20.pdf
Reports by library type: http://www.ala.org/ala/research/index.cfm
http://www.lrs.org/blog/viewitem.php?post=316 From IMLS, Washington, DC:
The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) announces the release of a new research brief, Service Trends in U.S. Public Libraries, 1997-2007. The brief identifies important changes public libraries have made to address patron needs in an increasingly Internet-centric environment and explores service differences in urban and rural communities.

A comparison of more than 11 years of Public Library Survey data suggests that service changes in U.S. public libraries are having an impact on visitation and circulation, as record numbers of people now use public libraries nationwide. Several findings from the survey include:

and#8226; The availability of Internet terminals in public libraries rose sharply between 2000 and 2007, increasing by 90 percent on a per capita basis. This dramatic increase is one example of the way U.S. public libraries are expanding their range of services to meet patron demand.

and#8226; Between 1997 and 2007, per capita visits to public libraries increased nationwide by 19 percent. During the same period per capita circulation increased by 12 percent. This growth in demand for library services occurred even as people increasingly turned to the Internet to meet other information needs.

and#8226; The study identified very different trajectories between urban and rural communities for select service trends, highlighting the importance of local context for identifying patron needs and improving services.

To read the research brief please go to: http://www.imls.gov/pdf/Brief2010_01.pdf

Colorado Public Library data: http://www.lrs.org/pub_stats.php http://www.lrs.org/blog/viewitem.php?post=315 A new Fast Facts, "Use of Statewide Databases Skyrockets in 2009: Patrons Benefit from Additional Databases and Training," has been published!

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This Fast Facts examines the use of electronic databases in Colorado libraries in fiscal years 2008 and 2009 and explores the impact of librarian training and a larger database package on overall database use.

To read this Fast Facts, visit our Fast Facts page or click on the title above!

- Lisa http://www.lrs.org/blog/viewitem.php?post=312 A new Fast Facts has been published! This Fast Facts (State's Collaborative Climate Fosters Interlibrary Loan in Colorado) examines interlibrary loan (ILL) use among Colorado's public and academic libraries, as well as how ILL use impacts circulation overall.

Read this Fast Facts by going to our Fast Facts page, or click the title above!

-Jamie http://www.lrs.org/blog/viewitem.php?post=310 LRS is proud to announce the release of our most recent Closer Look Report, "U.S. Public Libraries and the Use of Web Technologies." In the spring of 2008, we visited the websites of nearly 600 public libraries in the United States, including all Colorado public libraries, looking for the presence of web technologies, including those identified as "Web 2.0." This report details our findings about what public libraries are doing on the web, and the characteristics that "early adopters" share.

Find the report, and a Colorado-specific Fast Facts report, on the report page:

http://www.lrs.org/public/webtech

-Zeth
lietzau_z@cde.state.co.us http://www.lrs.org/blog/viewitem.php?post=309 and#8220;Libraries are serving as crucial technology hubs for people in need of free Web access, computer training, and assistance finding and using E-Government and job resources" according to the report recently released by the American Library Association (ALA), Libraries Connect Communities 3: Public Library Funding and Technology Access Study 2008-2009

Highlights from the study include:

* More than 71 percent of all libraries (and 79 percent of rural libraries) report they are the only source of free access to computers and the Internet in their communities.

* 66 percent of public libraries rank job-seeking services, including resume writing and Internet job searches, among the most crucial online services they offer and#8211; up from 44 percent two years ago.

* More than 90 percent of public libraries provide technology training such as online job-seeking and career-related classes.

Report: http://www.ala.org/ala/research/initiatives/plftas/2008_2009/index.cfm
About the study: http://www.ala.org/ala/research/initiatives/plftas/index.cfm

***Participate in this year's study at: http://survey.pnmi.com/ ***

~Nicolle
steffen_n@cde.state.co.us
http://www.lrs.org/blog/viewitem.php?post=307 If you or your library subscribes to Computers in Libraries magazine, look for my article - U.S. Public Libraries and Web 2.0: What's Really Happening? - on page 6. Find information about the publication at http://www.infotoday.com/cilmag/oct09/index.shtml. The article is the first publication recapping our recent study, "U.S. Public Libraries and the Use of Web Technologies." We are also tying up the loose ends on a Closer Look Report detailing results of the study, and working on a Colorado-specific edition of Fast Facts. Watch for those publications soon on the PL Web Tech study page.

-Zeth http://www.lrs.org/blog/viewitem.php?post=306 What:
The 2009-2010 Public Library Funding and Technology Access survey conducted by the American Library Association (ALA) and the Center for Library and Information Innovation at the University of Maryland is now available for completion at www.plinternetsurvey.org.

When:
The survey is open now through November 6, 2009.

How:
To participate, go to http://www.plinternetsurvey.org. You will need an ID number, which you may look up on the website.

Why:
Your participation in the survey is extremely important, and directly impacts the ability of ALA and others to advocate on behalf of public libraries and the tremendous contribution public libraries make to their communities through their public access Internet services and resources. Data from the study appeared most recently in USA Today (http://www.usatoday.com/tech/2009-09-01-library-computers-internet_N.htm) in a discussion of how public libraries help job seekers.

Funded by the American Library Association and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the survey provides important data regarding public library Internet connectivity, use, funding, and services. Since 1994, these surveys have been used by the American Library Association and others to inform and educate stakeholders - policymakers, funders, elected officials, supporters, and the media - at the local, state and national levels about the issues and needs your library faces in providing public computer and Internet access services and resources; how library staff and technology resources support community employment, e-government, and education services; the challenges libraries face in funding their services and resources; and the need for libraries, as community anchor institutions, to have access to robust high speed Internet connectivity as part of the recent broadband stimulus component of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), also known as the Stimulus Bill.

Questions:
Questions regarding the survey should be directed to support@plinternetsurvey.org or 301.405.9445.

More Information:
Additional information regarding the survey and previous survey results is available at http://www.liicenter.org/plinternet. The full Public Library Funding and Technology Access Study can be found online at www.ala.org/plinternetfunding.
http://www.lrs.org/blog/viewitem.php?post=302 Curious about the challenges received by Coloradoand#8217;s public libraries? Read our newest Fast Facts, Challenged Materials in Coloradoand#8217;s Public Libraries, 2008. More than one out of ten public libraries in Colorado received a challenge in 2008. Read more by clicking on the title above or by going to our Fast Facts page.

-Jamie http://www.lrs.org/blog/viewitem.php?post=299 You asked for it, we got it. This spreadsheet of 2008 mill levy data for Colorado public libraries is extracted from the most recently published data from the Colorado Department of Local Affair, Division of Property Taxation.

~Nicolle
steffen_n@cde.state.co.us http://www.lrs.org/blog/viewitem.php?post=296 Are you curious about the library job market in Colorado? Our latest Fast Facts, Library Jobs in Colorado: What Does LibraryJobline.org Tell Us?, analyzes the job postings on LibraryJobline.org since 2007. Some of the topics discussed are the total number of job postings, job postings by library type, and degree requirements. Read more about the changes (and similarities) over the past few years by clicking on the title above or by going to our Fast Facts page.

-Jamie
http://www.lrs.org/blog/viewitem.php?post=295