ALA News Release
For Immediate Release
November, 1998
New report shows more libraries
connect to the Internet; access still
limited
The number of libraries offering public access to the Internet
has increased dramatically but most are able to offer only
limited access due to technological limitations, according to a
new survey sponsored by the American Library Association
(ALA) and the U.S. National Commission on Libraries and
Information Science (NCLIS).
The 1998 survey found that 73 percent of the nation's public
libraries, including branches, now offer basic Internet access
to the public. Another 10 percent are connected but do not
offer public access. Forty-three percent have only one
multimedia computer available to the public. Only about a
third of libraries offering public Internet access have the
technology (56kbps bandwidth or greater) needed to
provide high quality access, including graphics, sound and
video.
A 1996 study found that only 28 percent of public library
systems offered public Internet access at one or more
branches. The 1998 National Survey of U.S. Public Library
Outlet Internet Connectivity studied all library outlets (main
and branch libraries), the poverty level of the users served
by these outlets and the library's metropolitan status as
urban, suburban or rural.
"Libraries are connecting as fast as they can but the
connections are still too slow and too few," said ALA
President Ann K. Symons. "Most public libraries are able to
offer only a learner's permit to the information
superhighway."
Symons said the survey findings underscore the importance
of the new education or E-rate discounts on
telecommunications services for public libraries and schools.
"Previous studies have found the biggest barrier to full
Internet access is cost," Symons explained. "The E-rate
discounts will help many more libraries, especially those
most in need, to obtain the equipment and connections they
need to offer full access to the Internet."
Authorized by the federal Telecommunications Act of 1996,
the E-rate discounts are intended to ensure that all people
have access to online information, especially those in rural
and poverty areas. The discounts, which range from 20 to
90 percent, are based on financial need. The first
commitment letters were mailed beginning the week of
November 16 to libraries and schools.
"Libraries are helping to bridge the digital divide," said
Jeanne Hurley Simon, chairperson of the National
Commission on Libraries and Information Science, an
independent federal agency. She noted that one in five public
libraries serve populations with a poverty level of 20 percent
or more and one in ten serve rural areas with greater than a
20 percent poverty level.
"Having public Internet access available at public libraries
extends the benefits of Internet access to those who lack
access elsewhere or who need a public point of Internet
access to supplement access that they already have at work,
at school, or at home. Increasing Internet access via libraries
will strengthen the role of libraries in the nation's information
and telecommunications infrastructure."
Simon said the report provides valuable baseline data
regarding the state of Internet access in libraries prior to the
release of Universal Service funding. She said it should be of
particular interest to policymakers, funders and
telecommunications providers, giving a more informed
picture of the type of connectivity in place in libraries serving
communities of varying levels of poverty and communities in
rural, suburban, and urban settings.
Simon noted that the report raises important questions about
what constitutes effective library-based Internet access in
terms of graphical capability, of adequate Internet access
speed, of appropriate numbers of Internet workstations for
the population served, and of efforts to target populations
that lack Internet access.
The survey also found that nearly every public library outlet
has or is developing a policy governing acceptable Internet
use. About 14 percent of public libraries use Internet filters.
The survey of library connectivity was conducted by Dr.
John Carlo Bertot, associate professor in the School of
Information Science and Policy at the University at Albany,
State University of New York, and Dr. Charles R. McClure,
distinguished professor in the School of Information Studies
at Syracuse (N.Y.) University. The study sample was
selected from the file used to produce Public Libraries in the
United States: FY 1994, a publication of the National
Center for Education Statistics. It included 2,500 of the
nation's 15,718 public library outlets.
The National Commission on Libraries and Information
Science, based in Washington, D.C., advises the president
and the Congress on national and international library and
information services policies and plans. The 57,000-member
American Library Association based in Chicago, works to
promote the highest quality library service and public access
to information.
The 1998 survey summary is available online at
ala.org. Copies are
also available from the American Library Association, Office
for Information Technology Policy, 1301 Pennsylvania Ave.,
NW, Washington, D.C. 20004. Telephone: 202-628-8421.
Fax: 202-628-8424. E-mail: oitp@alawash.org .
For further information, contact Frederick Weingarten,
director of the ALA Office for Information Technology
Policy, at 202-628-8421; Robert Willard, executive director
of the National Commission on Libraries and Information
Science, at 202-606-9200; John Carol Bertot at the
University at Albany, 518-442-5125; or Charles R.
McClure, at Syracuse University, at 315-443-2743.
Copyright © 1998, American Library Association. |
