| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 30, 2009
Press Contacts
202-653-4632
Jeannine Mjoseth, jmjoseth@imls.gov
Mamie Bittner, mbittner@imls.gov
IMLS Publishes FY 2007 Public Libraries Survey Report
Click on image for larger view.
Figure 1: Per Capita Visits to Public Libraries in the US, FY1998-FY2007
Source: Public Libraries Survey, FY1998-FY2007, IMLS/NCES
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Washington, DC—The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) has issued the Public Libraries Survey (PLS) report for fiscal year 2007. This is the second PLS report released since IMLS was given responsibility for the annual survey, which includes information on population of service areas, service outlets, library collections and services, library staff, and operating revenue and expenditures. New this year IMLS has included trend data (7-10 years) with graphs and maps on selected items. IMLS reports will continue to document these trends during subsequent fiscal years. More than 9,000 libraries were surveyed in the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. The survey had a 97.6 percent response rate.
“IMLS is proud to release this report six months earlier than last year.” said Anne-Imelda M. Radice, IMLS Director. “The report highlights a steady increase in library use over the last 10 years, with patrons accessing an incredible range of information resources and programs across the country. Recent national news reports suggest that public library use is even more pronounced in the last 6 months as a consequence of the economic downturn. In these difficult times, people are turning to a trusted, relevant community resource for vital information and support.”
The report includes a number of key findings to assist the library community, and
policymakers, at the local, state, and national level, in making decisions to better their
communities.
- The growth in per capita circulation from FY 2006 to FY 2007 was a continuation of the steady growth that has occurred since FY 2000. Per capita circulation grew from 6.4 materials per person to 7.4 materials per person from FY 2000 to FY 2007, an increase of 16 percent.
- Nationwide, visits to public libraries totaled 1.4 billion, or 4.9 library visits per capita, a small increase from the 4.8 visits per capita that were made during FY 2006. As in the case of per capita circulation, this is a continuation of a larger, longer upward trend. Per capita visitation increased from 4.2 to 4.9 between FY 1998 and FY 2007, an overall increase of 17 percent (Figure 1).
- In FY 2007, total nationwide circulation of public library materials was 2.2 billion, or 7.4 materials circulated per capita; these were slight increases from the 2.1 billion total materials and 7.3 materials per capita that were circulated during FY 2006.
- Internet terminals available for public use in public libraries nationwide numbered 208,000, or 3.6 per 5,000 people. These were increases from the previous year’s figures of 196,000 total terminals and 3.4 terminals per 5,000 people.
- Nationwide circulation of children’s materials was 739.7 million, or 34 percent of total circulation during FY 2007. Attendance at children’s programs was 59.0 million in FY 2007, up from 57.6 million the prior year.
The FY 2007 survey is the 20th in the series. On October 1, 2007 responsibility for the PLS was transferred from to IMLS from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), along with the State Library Agencies Survey. The U.S. Census Bureau collects the data under a contract with IMLS. The survey’s extraordinary response rate results from the cooperative effort between the Chief Officers of State Library Agencies, IMLS, and the Census Bureau.
For more information on library statistics, visit http://www.imls.gov/statistics.
The report is available in PDF format.
http://harvester.census.gov/imls/pubs/pls/index.asp
The FY 2007 PLS data files and documentation were released on May 14, 2009. http://harvester.census.gov/imls/data/pls/index.asp
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