Reports You Can Really Use

There are two recent reports that you can really use to help state your case when speaking to funding officials and when making advocacy speeches.

The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) has released a report called “Service Trends in U.S. Public Libraries (1997–2007)” that covers PC distribution, circulation, patron usage trends, and more. IMLS advises library workers to use this report’s data to develop elevator speeches. There's a six-page summary online.

ALA has released a report titled “A Perfect Storm Brewing: Budget Cuts Threaten Library Services at Time of Increased Demand.“ It’s part of the Public Library Funding and Technology Access Study, a multi-year project that builds on the longest-running and largest study of internet connectivity in public libraries. The study assesses public access to computers, the internet, and related services in U.S. It also discusses the impact of library funding changes on connectivity, technology deployment, and sustainability during fiscal years 2007–2009. It was conducted by ALA and the Center for Library and Information Innovation at the University of Maryland in fall 2009 and was funded by ALA and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Learn more at this website.