Information Institute Awarded Grant from the American Library Association to Study Public Libraries and the Internet

The Information Institute, College of Information, at Florida State University has been awarded a three-year $1.4 million grant from the American Library Association to study public libraries' use of the Internet. The Institute will conduct annual national surveys for the next three years that will probe how public libraries are connected to the Internet as well as the impact of funding changes on libraries' connectivity and sustainability of computer services in public libraries.

Results from the survey are critical for national public library computing and telecommunications planning, policymaking, and state-based planning. Survey results assist in this national planning for library services development to take place.

The 2006-2007 effort continues the biennial surveys of public library public computer and Internet access conducted by Bertot & McClure since 1994. Information about the various studies conducted by the Information Institute regarding public libraries and the Internet can be found at: http://www.ii.fsu.edu/plinternet.cfm.

John Carlo Bertot, Professor and Associate Director of the Information Institute and Charles R. McClure, Director and Francis Eppes Professor of the Information Institute serve as project directors. A number of additional staff at the Information Institute will also be working on the project. Denise Davis, Director, Office for Research and Statistics at the American Library Association heads the entire project which includes a number of other components. More information regarding the overall project is available at http://www.ala.org/plinternetfunding.

McClure stated that receipt of this award provides an outstanding opportunity to better understand the services, infrastructure, and issues related to public libraries' involvement in the Internet. Bertot also noted that "this partnership with the American Library Association to conduct these annual surveys is an excellent example of how researchers can assist a professional association in the development of library services."

The first annual survey was distributed in the Fall 2006. Results from this survey are expected to be available during the 2007 American Library Association annual conference in June 2007, Washington D.C.