Fast Facts Reports

Should Public Library Management Be Privatized? Viewpoints from the Field

September 2011

In September 2010, the New York Times published an article about the privatization of public libraries.[note]Streitfeld, D. (2010, September 26). Anger as private company takes over libraries. New York Times, http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/27/business/27libraries.html?scp=1&sq=libraries%20streitfeld&st=cse[/note] This article described the trend in some communities to turn over the management of public libraries to a private organization. In response to this […]

Program Attendance at Public Libraries is on the Rise

July 2011

Public libraries provide a wide range of programs for their communities, engaging, educating, and entertaining library patrons with everything from computer training to language classes to gaming. This important service has grown in recent years, with public libraries in the U.S. increasing the number of programs they offer by 33 percent between 2004 and 2008,[note]The […]

2010 Academic Librarian Salaries: West and Southwest Region Offers Competitive Pay

June 2011

At a time when unemployed academic librarians worry about the prospects of finding a job, many employed librarians face cuts in pay or hours and wonder how their salaries compare to those of other librarians in similar positions across the country. Using the 2010 American Library Association-Allied Professional Association (ALA-APA) Salary Survey[note]2010 ALA-APA Salary Survey […]

Web 2.0 and Colorado’s Public Libraries: 2010 Update

June 2011

In spring 2010, the Library Research Service (LRS) repeated its observational study, first conducted in 2008, of U.S. Public Libraries and the Use of Web Technologies.[note]Visit the LRS website for the Closer Look Report on the original study, as well as a Fast Facts covering the 2008 Colorado results http://www.lrs.org/public/webtech/.[/note] The 689 libraries included in […]

Colorado’s Library Job Climate: 2007-2010 Insights from LibraryJobline.org

May 2011

Over 500 registered employers use LibraryJobline.org to post open positions. The site is managed by the Library Research Service, a unit of the Colorado State Library, and most of the jobs posted (89% in 2010) are located in Colorado. Jobseekers can tailor searches to their own qualifications and preferences and receive customized emails when new […]

Where Does All the Money Go? Colorado’s Public Library Expenditures from 2000 to 2009

May 2011

Public libraries must make tough decisions about how to allocate limited funds to best meet their communities’ needs. These decisions take into account the responsibilities of maintaining a relevant collection, acquiring current technologies, and having the staff available to assist patrons and maintain technology. Examining the trends of key expenditure categories can give some insight […]

Colorado’s Public Library Service Trends from 2000 to 2009

April 2011

Colorado’s public libraries had another busy year in 2009. Library visits, circulation, and users of Internet computers reached record highs, and program attendance has risen considerably over the past decade. These four statistics are used to compute the Library Journal (LJ) Index of Public Library Service, a system that ranks the output measures of libraries […]

Colorado’s Public Libraries: Mixed Success in the National Rankings, 2001 to 2008

March 2011

In a November 2005 Fast Facts,[note]LRS November 2005 Fast Facts: State’s Public Libraries Still Place Colorado in Top 10, But Rankings Slipping After 2002-03 Cuts http://www.lrs.org/documents/fastfacts/230_State_Output_Rankings.pdf.[/note] the Library Research Service (LRS) posed the question, “One has to wonder: how long will Colorado remain one of the top 10 states for public libraries?” Each year, the […]

The Impact of the Recession on Public Library Use in Colorado

March 2011

During the latest recession (December 2007-June 2009), many Coloradans found that an old friend could serve them well in times of financial crisis: the public library. It is a place where those who are casualties of a bad economy can turn for much-needed information, community, and help, whether they are looking for a job, returning […]

Colorado School Library/Media Center Salaries: Mixed News

February 2011

The Colorado Department of Education (CDE) has released fall 2009 staffing statistics for schools statewide. On the whole, average annual salaries for school librarian/media consultants and assistants[note]For this report, school librarian/media consultants and assistants are defined according to CDE’s job classification descriptions, available at https://cdeapps.cde.state.co.us/jobdefs.htm.[/note] have improved considerably in the last 5 years. This salary […]