Public Libraries and the Internet 2004 officially released at ALA

The Information Institute's "Public Libraries and the Internet 2004: Survey Results and Findings" study was officially released on Thursday (June 23, 2005) at the American Library Association conference in Chicago. Since its official release, the study has received widespread media coverage. The study, which was funded by the American Library Association and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, was a national survey of public libraries across the United States that investigated the types and uses of technology in libraries and how that technology is funded and updated.

A primary goal of the study was to provide the library community with current information that describes public library activities in the networked environment. The study report summarizes findings at the library outlet and system level for all questions on the survey.

Coverage of the study has ranged from prominent national newspapers (including the New York Times, the Chicago Sun Times, and the Houston Chronicle), regional newspapers (including the St. Petersburg Times, the Gainesville Sun, and the Tallahassee Democrat), prominent news websites (such as MSNBC), and national news services (including the Associated Press and the PR Newswire). Announcements about the study are also available on the Gates Foundation (www.gatesfoundation.org) and the ALA (www.ala.org) websites.

All of the stories covering the study feature quotes from John Carlo Bertot, Associate Director of the Institute and Professor at the College of Information, who directed the study. The study was co-authored by John Bertot, Charles R. McClure, and Paul T. Jaeger.