• National Commission on 

• Libraries and Information Science 

Public Libraries 

and the Internet 

Study Results, Policy Issues, 

and Recommendations 

Final Report 

June 1994 

Charles R. McClure • John Carlo Bertot • Douglas L. Zweizig 
U.S. National Commission on Libraries and Information Science 

(NCLIS) 

Jeanne Hurley Simon, Chairperson 

Elinor H. Swaim, Vice Chairman 

Shirley Gray Adamovich 

Norman Kelinson 

Frank J. Lucchino 

Kay W. Riddle 

Bobby L. Roberts 

Gary N. Sudduth 

Barbara J.H. Taylor 

Robert S. Willard 

James H. Billington, Librarian of Congress 

represented by Winston Tabb 

Daniel W. Casey 

Carol K. DiPrete 

Martha B. Gould 

Artwork by: 

The views, opinions and recommendations expressed in this report 

are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect official position or policy 

of the U.S. National Commission on Libraries and Information Science. 

I§ The paper used in this publication meets the minimum 

requirement of American National Standard for Information Sciences --

Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials. 

Federal Recycling Program @ Printed on Recycled Paper 

U.S. National Commission on Libraries and Information Science 

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Washington, D.C. 20005-3522 

Telephone (202) 606-9200 

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Agnes Ainilian 

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Washington, DC 20003 
National Commission on 

Libraries and Information Science 

Public Libraries and the 

Internet: 

Study Results, Policy Issues, and 

Recommendations 

Final Report 

June 1994 

Charles R. McClure • John Carlo Bertot • Douglas L. Zweizig 
For sale by the U.S. Government Printing Office 

Superintendent of Documents, Mail Stop: SSOP, Washington, DC 20402-9328 
United States 

National Commission on 

Libraries and Information Science 

June 1994 

Honorable William J. Clinton 

President of the United States 

The White House 

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue 

Washington, D.C. 20500 

Dear President Clinton: 

The members of the U.S. National Commission on Libraries and 

Information Science (NCLIS) are pleased to present this report on Public Libraries 

and the Internet: Study Results, Policy Issues, and Recommendations. The report 

results from the Commission's mandate to study the means by which the 

informational needs of the Nation are satisfied. 

The Commission is concerned that public libraries offer advanced 

telecommunications and information services that benefit local communities. Just 

as they have offered open access to recorded knowledge since the earliest days of 

our Nation's history, public libraries have a vital role in assuring that advanced 

information services are universally available to all segments of the population on 

an equitable basis. 

The Commission's systematic examination of public libraries and the 

Internet is based on the belief that publicly-supported community libraries are a 

critical component of the National Information Infrastructure (NII) initiative. The 

survey provides initial baseline data about Internet connectivity for public 

libraries. The research shows that the NIi's capability to extend and enhance 

information access is not yet widely available to the Nation's 9,050 public 

libraries. 

The National Commission's survey of public library involvement with 

Internet, the global computer network of interconnected networks, shows the 

following: 

"20.9% of public libraries are connected to the Internet 

• Public library access to the Internet is not equitable 

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• Public libraries serving larger communities are more likely to have 

access to Internet than public libraries serving smaller 

communities 

• There are regional variations in public library Internet connectivity 

• Few public libraries offer direct public access to the Internet 

• Public libraries are using Internet services to 

- procure answers to reference inquiries 

- access federal information resources 

- perform interlibrary loan transactions 

• There are wide variations in public library Internet costs 

- libraries for smaller populations report annual costs of $412 

- libraries for larger populations report annual costs of $14,697 

• Federal assistance for co11necting public libraries to the Internet is 

required 

The NCLIS survey responds to " question raised at a July, 1993 policy 

discussion meeting held at the Library of Congress. At this meeting, Vice 

President Gore asked to what degree public libraries can serve as a "safety net" 

for access to Internet information and services. The Vice President also raised 

issues related to how the Internet could provide better social equity for the 

public. The current National data about public libraries and the Internet 

contained in this report are intended to help make informed decisions about 

future government roles involving public libraries and the information 

infrastructure. 

The Commission's report shows that public libraries are making progress 

in connecting to the Internet and by extending the benefits of advanced 

information services to their patrons. This progress, however, requires 

assistance if we are to assure that the information superhighway of the future 

will not bypass critical segments of the American people. 

We look forward to working with you to achieve the vision so clearly 

articulated in your State of the Union Address " ... to connect every classroom, 

every clinic, every LIBRARY, every hospital in America into a national 

information superhighway by the year 2000. " 

ll 

Sincerely, 

Ju...,,.._ \;tu,~ <:,n--, ..__ 

Jeanne Hurley Simon 

Chairperson 

2 
Acknowledgments 

Charles R. McClure 

John Carlo Bertot 

Douglas L. Zweizig 

June 1994 

The authors would like to thank all the public librarians who 

made this study a success by responding to the survey questions. 

Their interest, demonstrated by the high response rate, illustrates 

the importance of this topic to the public library community. 

Indeed, had public librarians not participated with such enthusiasm, the study would not have been possible. 

The authors would also like to express their gratitude to the 

many individuals who provided valuable assistance in this study. 

In particular, the authors would like to thank the members of the 

Advisory Board, who supported this study with their insights 

and assistance in the organization and execution of the survey 

pre-test. 

Members of the Advisory Board included: Craig Buthod, 

Associate Director, Seattle Public Library; Beverly Choltco-Devlin, 

Morrisville Public Library; Carol DiPrete, Dean for Academic 

Ser~ices, Roger Williams University, and National Commission 

on Libraries and Information Science (NCLIS) Commissioner; 

Laura Isenstein, Coordinator for Resource Delivery, Baltimore 

County Public Library; Keith Curry Lance, Director of Library 

Research Services, Colorado State Library; Mary Jo Lynch, Director for Office for Research, American Library Association; and 

Donna D. Mancini, Director, DeKalb County Public Library. 

Furthermore, the authors would like to thank the National 

Center for Education Statistics for selecting the sample. In particular, we would like to express our appreciation to Carrol Kindel, 

Chief of Library Statistics Branch, and Paul Planchon, Associate 

Commissioner for ESED. We are also very grateful to Steven 

Kaufman for his assistance to the study team in explaining the 

sampling process. 

Completion of the study would not have been possible without NCLIS support. In addition, the authors acknowledge the 

foresight and follow-through of Peter R. Young, the Executive 

Director of the National Commission on Libraries and Information Science, and the Commission staff. Their efforts and NCLIS 

support are greatly appreciated. 

Sondra Cuban, Research Associate at the School of Library 

and Information Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Deborah Perotti of the Syracuse University AskEric 

project provided additional research assistance. We also acknowledge the assistance of Jean Armour Polly of NYSERNet, Inc., who 

reviewed an early draft of the final report. 

The authors are also grateful to the many state library agencies that supported this study. They assisted the project by identifying and targeting non-responding libraries. Without the assistance of the state library agencies, the study would not have 

had as high a response rate. 

In addition, the authors would like to express their gratitude 

to Beth N. Mahoney for her superb effort in the production of 

this report and to Bruce Frausto for his copyediting. We greatly 

appreciate their efforts in producing the final report. 

iii 
Table of Contents 

INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................................................... 1 

Background .................................................................................................................................................................... 2 

Importance of Public Libraries in the NII .................................................................................................................. 3 

Study Background ......................................................................................................................................................... 4 

Creating a New Vision .................................................................................................................................................. 5 

STUDY RESULTS ................................................................................................................................................................ 6 

Methodology .................................................................................................................................................................. 6 

Survey Instrument Development and Quality of Data ...................................................................................... 6 

Survey Procedures ................................................................................................................................................... 6 

Sampling and Data Analysis Procedures ............................................................................................................. 7 

Some Public Library Demographics ........................................................................................................................... 7 

Accessing the Internet .................................................................................................................................................. 8 

Factors Affecting Public Library Involvement with the Internet ...................................................................... 8 

Public Library Motivation in the Internet ............................................................................................................ 9 

Public Library and Federal Government Roles in the Internet ............................................................................ 11 

Public Library Roles .............................................................................................................................................. 12 

Federal Government Roles ................................................................................................................................... 13 

The Current State of Public Library Internet Connections .................................................................................... 14 

Percentage of Public Libraries Connected to the Internet and 

Average Individual Internet Addresses .............................................................................................................. 14 

Type of Network Connection and Connection Provider ................................................................................. 17 

Average Cost of an Internet Connection and Future Library Connection Resource Allocation ................ 20 

Internet Public Library Uses and Information Services ........................................................................................ 24 

Weekly Public Library Uses of the Internet ....................................................................................................... 24 

Weekly Library Internet-Based Patron Services ................................................................................................ 24 

Public Library Provision of Internet Public Access Terminals ........................................................................ 29 

Printing Internet-Retrieval Material .................................................................................................................... 29 

iv 
Communitywide Information Services .............................................................................................................. 35 

Public Library Technology Infrastructure ............................................................................................................... 36 

Successes and Frustrations with Using the Internet .............................................................................................. 36 

Internet Use ............................................................................................................................................................. 36 

Internet Organization ............................................................................................................................................ 37 

Gaining Access to the Internet ............................................................................................................................. 38 

EXPANDING THE POLICY DEBATE ........................................................................................................................... 38 

Disparities Between Urban/Rural Public Libraries ............................................................................................... 39 

Library Uses of Internet Connectivity ...................................................................................................................... 39 

Promoting Access to Government Information ...................................................................................................... 40 . 

Library Expenditures for Internet Services ............................................................................................................. 40 

Community Networking and Public Libraries ....................................................................................................... 41 

Roles for Public Libraries and the Federal Government ...................................................................................... .41 

Seeking Solutions ........................................................................................................................................................ 42 

ISSUES AND RECOMMENDATIONS .......................................................................................................................... 43 

Key Issues ..................................................................................................................................................................... 43 

Recommendations ....................................................................................................................................................... 43 

For Policymakers ................................................................................................................................................... 43 

For Public Librarians ............................................................................................................................................. 47 

For the National Commission on Libraries and Information Science ........................................................... .48 

Rethinking Federal Support for Libraries ................................................................................................................ 48 

NOTES ................................................................................................................................................................................ 50 

REFERENCES .................................................................................................................................................................... 51 

APPENDIX A: Survey Instrument ................................................................................................................................. 53 

APPENDIX B: Postcard Alert .......................................................................................................................................... 58 

APPENDIX C: Survey Cover Letter ............................................................................................................................... 60 

V 
List of Figures 

Figure 1. Check on Study Sample and Response Quality ............................................................................................ 7 

Figure 2. Public Library Average FTEs, Material Expenditures, and Operating Expenses 

by Population of Legal Service Area ................................................................................................................................ 8 

Figure 3. Public Library Average FTEs, Material Expenditures, and Operating Expenses by Region ................. 9 

Figure 4. Factors Affecting Public Library Involvement with the Internet 

by Population of Legal Service Area ............................................................................................................................... 9 

Figure 5. Factors Affecting Public Library Involvement with the Internet by Region .......................................... 10 

Figure 6. Urban and Rural Public Library Factors Affecting Library Involvement with the Internet ................ 10 

Figure 7. Primary Motivation for Interest in the Internet by Population of Legal Service Area .......................... 10 

Figure 8. Primary Motivation for Interest in the Internet by Region ....................................................................... 11 

Figure 9. Primary Motivation for Interest in the Internet by Material Expenditures 

for the Last Fiscal Year ..................................................................................................................................................... 11 

Figure 10. Primary Motivation for Interest in the Internet by Operating Expenditures 

for the Last Fiscal Year ..................................................................................................................................................... 12 

Figure 11. Urban and Rural Library Motivation for Interest in the Internet ........................................................... 12 

Figure 12. Public Librarian Agreement/Disagreement with Public Library Roles 

in the Internet by Population of Legal Service Area .................................................................................................... 13 

Figure 13. Public Librarian Agreement/Disagreement with Public Library Roles 

in the Internet by Region ................................................................................................................................................ 14 

Figure 14. Urban and Rural Public Librarian Agreement/Disagreement 

with Public Library Roles in the Internet ...................................................................................................................... 14 

Figure 15. Public Libraries' Ranking of Federal Government Roles in Supporting Internet Access 

through Public Libraries by Population of Legal Service Area .................................................................................. 15 

Figure 16. Public Libraries' Ranking of Federal Government Roles in Supporting Internet Access 

through Public Libraries by Region ............................................................................................................................... 15 

Figure 17. Public Libraries' Ranking of Federal Government Roles in Supporting Internet Access 

through Public Libraries .................................................................................................................................................. 15 

Figure 18. Public Libraries' Ranking of Federal Government Roles for Public Libraries 

in the Internet by Materials Expenditures for the Last Fiscal Year ............................................................................ 16 

Figure 19. Public Libraries' Ranking of Federal Government Roles for Public Libraries 

in the Internet by Operating Expenditures for the Last Fiscal Year .......................................................................... 16 

Figure 20. Public Libraries Connected to the Internet by Library Service Population .......................................... 17 

vi 
Figure 21. Public Libraries Connected to the Internet by Region ............................................................................. 17 

Figure 22. Average Number of Public Library Internet Addresses by Population of Legal Service Area .......... 18 

Figure 23. Average Number of Public Library Internet Addresses by Region ....................................................... 18 

Figure 24. Urban and Rural Public Libraries Connected to the Internet ................................................................. 18 

Figure 25. Urban and Rural Public Library Average Number of Library Internet Addresses ............................. 18 

Figure 26. Public Libraries Connected to the Internet by Materials Expenditures 

for the Last Fiscal Year ..................................................................................................................................................... 19 

Figure 27. Public Libraries Connected to the Internet by Operating Expenditures 

for the Last Fiscal Year ..................................................................................................................................................... 19 

Figure 28. Public Library Type of Internet Connection by Population of Legal Service Area ............................. 19 

Figure 29. Public Library Type of Internet Connection by Region ........................................................................... 20 

Figure 30. Urban and Rural Public Library Type of Internet Connection ............................................................... 20 

Figure 31. Public Library Type of Network Connection Provider by Population of Legal Service Area ........... 21 

Figure 32. Public Library Type of Network Connection Provider by Region ......................................................... 21 

Figure 33. Urban and Rural Public Library Type of Network Connection Provider ............................................. 22 

Figure 34. Public Libraries' Average Estimated Cost of Connecting to the Internet 

by Legal Population Service Area .................................................................................................................................. 22 

Figure 35. Public Libraries' Average Estimated Cost of Connecting to the Internet by Region ........................... 22 

Figure 36. Urban and Rural Public Library Estimated Cost of Connecting 

to the Internet Last Fiscal Year ........................................................................................................................................ 23 

Figure 37. Public Libraries' Estimated Internet Resource Allocation for the Next Fiscal Year 

by Population of Legal Service Area .............................................................................................................................. 23 

Figure 38. Public Libraries' Estimated Internet Resource Allocation for the Next Fiscal Year by Region .......... 23 

Figure 39. Urban and Rural Public Library Estimated Internet Resource Allocation 

for the Next Fiscal Year .................................................................................................................................................... 24 

Figure 40. Overall Public Library Use of E-Mail Per Week ....................................................................................... 24 

Figure 41. Overall Public Library Use of Resource Location Service (e.g., Mosaic, Gopher) Per Week ............. 25 

Figure 42. Overall Public Library Use of Telnet/Remote Login Per Week ............................................................. 25 

Figure 43. Overall Public Library Use of Bibliographic Utilities Per Week ............................................................ 25 

Figure 44. Overall Public Library Use of Listservs/Electronic Discussion Lists Per Week .................................. 25 

vii 
Figure 45. Overall Public Library Use of File Transfer Protocol (FTP) Per Week ................................................... 25 

Figure 46. Urban and Rural Public Library Use of E-Mail Per Week ....................................................................... 26 

Figure 47. Urban and Rural Public Library Use of Resource Location Services 

(e.g., Mosaic, Gopher) Per Week ..................................................................................................................................... 26 

Figure 48. Urban and Rural Public Library Use of Bibliographic Utilities Per Week ............................................ 26 

Figure 49. Urban and Rural Public Library Use of Telnet/Remote Login Per Week ............................................. 26 

Figure 50. Urban and Rural Public Library Use of Listservs/Electronic Discussion Lists Per Week ................. 27 

Figure 51. Urban and Rural Public Library Use of File Transfer Protocol (FTP) Per Week .................................. 27 

Figure 52. Overall Public Library Use of the Internet to Provide Fede-ral Government Documents 

for Patrons Per Week ........................................................................................................................................................ 27 

Figure 53. Overall Public Library Use of the Internet to Access Eledronic Indexes for Patrons 

Per Week ............................................................................................................................................................................ 27 

Figure 54. Overall Public Library Use of the Internet to Obtain Answers for Patrons Per Week ........................ 28 

Figure 55. Overall Public Library Provision of Internet Interlibrary Loan Services 

for Patrons Per Week ........................................................................................................................................................ 28 

Figure 56. Overall Public Library Use of the Internet to Provide Access to Electronic Journals 

for Patrons Per Week ........................................................................................................................................................ 28 

Figure 57. Overall Public Library Provision of Internet Training Programs for Patrons Per Week .................... 28 

Figure 58. Overall Public Library Use of the Internet to Download Software for Patrons Per Week ................. 29 

Figure 59. Urban and Rural Public Library Use of the Internet to Provide Federal Government 

Documents for Patrons Per Week ................................................................................................................................... 29 

Figure 60. Urban and Rural Public Library Use of the Internet to Access Electronic Indexes 

for Patrons Per Week ........................................................................................................................................................ 30 

Figure 61. Urban and Rural Public Library Provision of Internet Interlibrary Loan Services 

for Patrons Per Week ........................................................................................................................................................ 30 

Figure 62. Urban and Rural Public Library Use of the Internet to Obtain Answers 

for Patrons Per Week ........................................................................................................................................................ 30 

Figure 63. Urban and Rural Public Library Use of the Internet to Provide Access 

to Electronic Journals for Patrons Per Week ................................................................................................................. 30 

Figure 64. Urban and Rural Public Provision of Internet Training Programs for Patrons Per Week .................. 31 

Figure 65. Urban and Rural Public Library Use of the Internet to Download Software 

for Patrons Per Week ........................................................................................................................................................ 31 

viii 
Figure 66. Public Libraries that Have Access to the Internet and Provide Public Access Terminals 

by Population of Legal Service Area .............................................................................................................................. 31 

Figure 67. Public Libraries that Have Access to the Internet and Provide Public Access Terminals 

by Region ........................................................................................................................................................................... 32 

Figure 68. Urban and Rural Public Libraries that Have Access to the Internet and Provide Public 

Access Terminals ............................................................................................................................................................... 32 

Figure 69. Public Libraries that Have Access to the Internet and Provide Public Access Terminals 

by Material Expenditures for the Last Fiscal Year ....................................................................................................... 32 

Figure 70. Public Libraries that Have Access to the Internet and Provide Public Access Terminals by 

Operating Expenditures for the Last Fiscal Year .......................................................................................................... 33 

Figure 71. Public Libraries that Have Access to the Internet and Provide Hard-Copy Print of Materials 

Obtained Through the Internet by Population of Legal Service Area ...................................................................... 33 

Figure 72. Public Libraries that Have Access to the Internet and Provide Hard-Copy Print of Materials 

Obtained Through the Internet by Region .................................................................................................................... 34 

Figure 73. Percentage of Public Libraries that Provide Information Services to a Local Community 

Network or Free-Net by Region ..................................................................................................................................... 34 

Figure 74. Percentage of Public Libraries that Provide Information Services to a Local Community 

Network or Free-Net by Population of Legal Service Area ........................................................................................ 34 

Figure 75. Public Library Number of Computers and Computers with External Communication 

Capabilities ........................................................................................................................................................................ 35 

Figure 76. Number of Phone Lines Coming into Public Libraries by Population of Legal Service Area ........... 35 

Figure 77. Number of Phone Lines Coming into Public Libraries by Region ........................................................ 36 

Figure 78. Number of Phone Lines Coming into Urban and Rural Public Libraries ............................................ 36 

Figure 79. Issues Concerning Public Library Participation in the Internet and the National Information 

Infrastructure Initiative .................................................................................................................................................... 44 

ix 
Public Libraries 

and the Internet: 

Study Results, 

Policy Issues, and 

Recommendations 

Final Report 

INTRODUCTION 

During a July 1993 policy discussion meeting, Vice 

President Gore asked to what degree public libraries 

could serve as a "safety net" for providing access to 

Internet-based information and services. More recently, during his State of the Union address, President Clinton stated, "We must work with the private 

sector to connect every classroom, every clinic, every 

library, and every hospital in America to a national 

information superhighway by the year 2000" 

(Clinton, 1994, p. 4). 

During the 1991 White House Conference on Library and Information Services (WHCLIS), conference 

participants adopted a priority recommendation to 

"Share Information Via a National 'Superhighway'" 

where the "network should be available in all libraries and other information repositories at every level" 

(National Commission on Libraries and Information 

Science, 1992, p. 45). Such questions and statements 

indicate that public libraries have a vital role to play 

in the development of the National Information Infrastructure (NII). Public libraries are, in fact, poised to 

become the critical institutions in American society that 

provide access for all citizens to the Internet and the 

Internet's information resources. 

Without baseline data concerning public library 

involvement with the Internet, however, policymakers 

cannot begin to assess the potential roles for public 

libraries in the electronic networked environment. 

Recognizing this need, the National Commission on 

Libraries and Information Science (NCLIS) commissioned this study. To be sure, this report is but a starting point. In particular, the report should serve to inform the current debate concerning the development 

and construction of the Internet and the NII, assisting 

policymakers, information professionals, and public 

librarians in identifying the possible functions that 

public libraries can serve in the NII. 

The timing of this report is fortuitous. The federal 

government, in announcing the NII initiative, is developing techniques to ensure national network connectivity and use for all Americans. The findings of 

this study will help the administration and Congress 

form a national networking plan that defines and guarantees public access to networked information resources and services. 

This nation requires a carefully developed plan and 

policy initiative to offer a vision for the role of librar-
2 

ies in the NIL The plan and policy initiative should 

clarify policy goals that articulate that vision and describe specific program initiatives to translate those 

goals into action. To this end, one purpose of this report is to help the administration and Congress, the 

library community, information providers in the private sector, and others better understand the current 

state of public library interaction with the Internet. 

With such know ledge in hand, policymakers can make 

informed decisions concerning policies and programs 

related to public library participation in the emerging 

networked information infrastructure. 

This report is divided into four main sections. It 

begins with an introduction to the role and importance 

of public libraries in an electronic networked environment, followed by a presentation of survey results, a 

discussion of study findings, and a presentation of key 

issues and recommendations for policymakers to 

clarify a role for public libraries in the Internet and in 

the development of the NII. 

Background 

The current national electronic networked environment entails three distinct networking initiatives: the 

Internet, the National Research and Education Network (NREN), and the National Information Infrastructure (NII). The Defense Advanced Research 

Projects Agency (DARPA, now the Advanced Research 

Projects Agency) created the Internet (Lynch and 

Preston, 1990), a network of computer networks, "to 

allow geographically dispersed researchers to share 

scientific data and computing resources by providing 

them with access to otherwise incompatible networks" 

(McClure et al., 1991, p. 9). The National Science Foundation (NSF) took over the coordination of the Internet 

in 1985. The transfer of management of the Internet 

from DARPA to NSF signaled a shift in focus concerning Internet use from defense research purposes to civilian research purposes. The Internet primarily has 

served the research and academic communities. 

In its current configuration, the Internet is an interconnected network of computer networks. It is the 

interconnectedness and interoperability of the network 

that provides the basis for the Internet's information 

resources and services. The Internet has experienced 

exponential growth in recent years. For example, as 

of January 1994, the Internet had 2,217,000 hosts 

(Internet machine cites), up from 213 in August 1981 

( <nic.merit.edu>, 1994). Indeed, there is every indication that the growth rate of Internet connections and 

hosts will continue to increase in the future. 

Public Libraries and the Internet 

As the Internet and computing capabilities grew in 

use and function, so too did the notion of a formal NII. 

The High Speed Performance Computing Act of 1991 

(HPCA) (P.L. 102-94) legislated the beginning of an NII 

by creating the National Research and Education Network. The NREN was a response to scientific "grand 

challenges," defined as "fundamental problems in science and engineering, with broad economic and scientific impact, whose solution could be advanced by 

applying high performance computing techniques and 

resources" (Committee on Physical, Mathematical, and 

Engineering Sciences, 1993, p. 67). The HPCA, which 

launched the High Performance Computing and Communication (HPCC) program, created the NREN in 

part to (McClure et al., 1991, p. 12): 

0 Provide an advanced information infrastructure 

linking the federal government, academia, and 

the private sector; 

0 Enhance the economic competitiveness of the 

United States by facilitating communication 

among scientists, engineers, and educators, improving scientific and research productivity, and 

hastening the rate of technology transfer between 

the research and manufacturing sectors; 

0 Serve as a test bed for research and development 

on high-speed networks and high-performance 

computing. 

Lawmakers viewed the NREN as a high-speed network to promote technology transfer initiatives as well 

as to facilitate the collaborative research efforts between the research, university, government, library, 

and manufacturing communities. The NREN should 

not be confused with the Internet, as they are not the 

same. The NREN is, in essence, a federal program plan 

for using high-speed networks. 

The administration and Congress modified their 

vision and conceptualization of a national electronic 

networked environment during the last year. Indeed, 

the administration and the Congress are working toward the creation of an NII which takes advantage of 

computing and telecommunications technology advances and the convergence of such technologies. 

These advances and convergence sparked a two-fold 

legislative and policy initiative to (1) provide guidelines for the development of the NII and (2) modernize outdated telecommunications policies and legislation that impede private-sector investment in developing the NII. 
Final Report 

The National Information Infrastructure: Agenda for 

Action (1993) describes the administration's framework 

for a high-speed computing initiative to create" a seamless web of communications networks, computers, 

databases, and consumer electronics that will put vast 

amounts of information at users' fingertips" (Information Infrastructure Task Force, 1993, Executive Summary). Moreover, the administration considers the NII 

to be the sum total of the following (Information Infrastructure Task Force, 1993, Section II): 

• The information carried over the NII 

• The applications and software that permit the 

access and use of the NII 

• The network standards and transmission codes 

that facilitate interoperation and interconnectivity 

• The people, predominantly in the private-sector, 

who create the NII information resources and services. 

Furthermore, the Clinton administration articulated 

the principles upon which the private sector should 

construct the NII (Office of the Vice President, 1994; 

Irving, 1994). The foundations of the NII initiative include (Office of the White House, 1994, Section I): 

• Encouraging private investment in the NII 

• Promoting and protecting competition 

• Providing open access to the NII for consumers 

and service providers 

• Preserving and advancing universal service to 

avoid creating a society of information "haves" 

and "have nots" 

• Ensuring flexibility so that the newly adopted 

regulatory framework can keep pace with the 

rapid technological and market changes that pervade the telecommunications and information industries. 

The NII initiative, therefore, is a bold policy undertaking that stresses both an open electronic network 

and an electronic network to which all citizens have 

access. As such, the NII development process cuts 

across various communities, such as the information 

industry, information seekers and users, and telecommunications carriers. 

3 

Congress echoes this philosophy: "The Federal 

Government should ensure that the applications 

achieved through research and development efforts 

such as the High-Performance Computing Program 

directly benefit all Americans" (H.R. 1757, p. 3). The 

proposals emanating from Congress and the administration imply that any and all citizens will have access 

to the NII through some means. Neither Congress nor 

the administration articulates the mechanism(s) 

through which this "universal access" will be provided. It is unclear, however, that current policy initiatives offer a significant role for public libraries in 

the NII as "universal service" and "open access" providers. 

Importance of Public Libraries in the NII 

Public libraries are vital to a democratic society. 

They ensure public access to information from a variety of sources, including federal, state, and local governments. Public libraries serve as societal equalizers, providing information resources and services to 

all patrons regardless of socioeconomic status, disability, or location. As such, public libraries represent educational opportunity and unobstructed access to information for all segments of society. 

In general, information resources and services provided via the Internet are similar to those traditionally furnished by libraries. Public libraries, however, 

face many challenges due to the electronic "information revolution." Computing and telecommunications 

technologies work together to challenge the existence 

of public libraries and, on the other hand, offer the 

potential to substantially increase the number of information services public libraries can provide their 

communities. As such, the Internet is both a threat to 

and an opportunity for the public library system and 

its users. 

Public librarians and patrons are concerned about 

the transition into the electronic age. They are concerned about how this transition will affect the way 

public libraries disseminate and acquire information. 

Some public librarians are unsure of the future of public libraries and librarianship as a profession; others 

view the approach of the "electronic highway" as a 

challenge and opportunity to expand services to the 

user. "Public access terminals to the network in the 

public library ... protect...those with less resources and 

become ... a 'safety net' where people could [go to] tap 

into the Internet" (McClure et al., 1993, p. 24). 

Wetherbee and Snow (1993) note that "libraries should 
4 

be a significant part of the Internet world - no other 

group or profession has so much interest in the issues 

of equity, open access, and freedom of information" 

(pp. 4-5). 

Public libraries serve many functions in American 

society: they are learning centers, knowledge centers, 

information service providers (Fisher, 1992), liaisons 

between citizens and the government (Rose, 1992), 

and, increasingly, information safety nets for the disadvantaged (Hansen, 1992). These roles will certainly 

continue in the immediate future. But as information 

providers generate and distribute more information, 

books, serials, and other publications in digital formats, 

public libraries will have to significantly change their 

services. 

The discussion about how to accomplish these 

changes and the development of the Internet continues among key stakeholders. Ultimately, public libraries must join the debate and participate in the NII formulation. Doing so will afford public libraries a choice 

regarding their role in this new information age. Moreover, the federal government must address the opportunity to include public libraries in the NII initiative. 

Together with other NII participants, public libraries 

and the federal government can work to create an NII 

that both serves the public interest and promotes private-sector NII development. 

To date, however, public libraries have been only 

minimally involved in the NII development process. 

Public libraries have the potential to generate some of 

the most innovative educational uses of the evolving 

national electronic networked environment for meeting the needs of the widest range of individuals. Yet 

national electronic network planners have inadequately considered possible roles for public libraries. 

Public libraries face the electronic networked environment without adequate equipment, staff, or policy 

and financial support. Indeed, some public libraries 

today confront two choices: scale back current services 

and operating hours, or eliminate services. Under such 

a constrained fiscal environment, public libraries need 

both a vision and financial support to take advantage 

of the increased potential for access to knowledge 

made available by technological advances in general 

and the Internet in particular. Public libraries have the 

potential to make a significant difference in the provision of networked information to their communities. 

Public Libraries and the Internet 

Given the electronic network context and the new 

vision, roles, and operational challenges this environment presents public libraries, is it possible for public 

libraries to successfully participate in the Internet and 

its subsequent incarnations? McClure et al. reply (1993, 

p. 15): 

Respondents [from library surveys] suggested 

that for the libraries to survive, they will have 

to find the right niche for the kind of information they provide. They will also have to move 

into new areas and drop certain areas of traditional service. 

Martin (1983) concurs, stating that "the library that will 

survive and flourish is the library that will not only 

acquire but will disseminate information" (p. 22). Similarly, Shearer (1993) writes "If public librarians will 

stress lifelong learning more ... both the public sense of 

institutional relevance and public...support should 

increase" (p. 193). No longer will "municipal 

authorities ... [sanction] maintenance of a free bookstore" (Martin, 1983, p. 20). D'Elia notes that it is the 

educational role of the library that is in greatest demand by the library's clientele (1993). 

The lack of public library involvement in the NII 

initiative poses significant public information access 

issues. The public library is a place where anyone can 

go for literature and information of all types. Such 

open access to information may not be possible as content shifts from print-based to digital media. As such, 

the NII may actually present barriers to current public information access mechanisms. Indeed, without 

public library participation in the Internet, the public 

stands to lose more than just an institution. "Unless 

librarians and others support and actively work toward direct library involvement in the electronic communication infrastructure, we risk the possibility of 

losing some or all public access to the new evolving 

network" (Kranich, 1993, p. 36). 

Study Background 

To date, there has been no national study of public 

library use of the Internet. Rather than spelling the 

demise of the public library institution, the electronic 

network environment holds new public library community-service opportunities. To determine the public library's role in the networked environment, the 

library and information science communities and 

policymakers need a comprehensive assessment of 
Final Report 

public libraries' current use of electronic networked 

resources. At present, policymakers and researchers 

alike do not know the current state of public library 

interaction with the Internet: How many public libraries are connected to the Internet? What is the impact 

of Internet use on library budgets, organization, and 

personnel? What new library service opportunities 

does the Internet permit? 

NCLIS, with additional research assistance provided by the National Center for Education Statistics 

(NCES)1, commissioned this national study. The goal 

of the study was to determine the nature, extent, and 

form of public library involvement with the Internet. 

The study gathered data on a variety of Internet-related topics, such as the: 

• Degree to which public libraries have operational 

connections to the Internet 

• Type of provider that the public library uses to 

obtain connectivity 

• Internet services and resources that public librarians use 

• Public library programs or services that have been 

developed to incorporate Internet use 

• Factors affecting public library use of the Internet 

• Estimated expenditures and costs public libraries incur for connecting to and using the Internet 

• Special arrangements by which public libraries 

connect to the Internet (e.g., state network users, 

federal grant recipients, and subsidized Internet 

access rates) 

• Potential for Internet access in the near future for 

public libraries that are not presently connected. 

Data provided by public libraries on these topics inform the policy process with regard to the role of public libraries in the NII. Indeed, without baseline information concerning Internet activity within public libraries, policymakers will not be able to determine the 

extent to which public libraries can serve as societal 

safety nets, can promote universal access, or can be 

active participants in the NII development process. 

5 

Current administration and Congressional initiatives indicate that the development of the NII will proceed rapidly, with heavy-private sector cooperation 

(Information Infrastructure Task Force, 1993). To facilitate investment in the NII, both Congress and the 

administration propose major changes to current telecommunications regulations and policies that promote 

government and private-sector collaboration. What 

remains uncertain, however, is the role of the public 

library in the NII and how this role is to be realized. 

Creating a New Vision 

The administration's and Congress' vision of the 

NII initiative is one in which the NII positively pervades our society by creating new business opportunities, additional jobs, a more productive society, and 

a more highly educated population (Information Infrastructure Task Force, 1993). This is an exciting time, 

when America will enter into a new information age 

- one in which information freely flows and is instantaneously available, and to which all Americans 

have access. 

In order, however, to build the" foundations for living in the information age and for making these technological advances useful" (Information Infrastructure 

Task Force, 1993, Section II), the federal government 

needs to encourage public libraries to play a key role 

in the development of the NII. No other public institution is so pervasive in American society, with 9,050 

public libraries and 15,482 stationary outlets,2 or so 

well suited to the role of liaison between sources and 

consumers of information. 

As the data in the next section demonstrate, public 

libraries need support to participate in the electronic 

networked environment. Without public library inclusion and appropriate resource allocations in the NII 

development process, public libraries, particularly 

those in rural areas, will have great difficulty gaining 

access to the Internet. The failure of public libraries to 

make this transition can adversely affect the NII initiative in general, and the administration's strongly 

supported "universal service" goals in particular. As 

shown in the remainder of the report, the public library community is poised to move into this networked environment - but it will require both clear 

federal policies and new resources to do so successfully. 
6 

STUDY RESULTS 

The study gathered data from a national sample of 

public libraries concerning current public library involvement with the Internet. The data collection occurred between January and March 1994. The purpose of this study was to (1) provide policymakers and 

library professionals and researchers with baseline 

data about public library Internet involvement, and 

(2) inform the policy-making process regarding the role 

of public libraries in the development of the NIL 

Methodology 

This study deployed a multistep methodology to 

ensure the quality of the resulting data. The following paragraphs detail the procedures used in this study 

to derive the findings. 

Survey Instrument Development and Quality of Data 

The study team developed an initial outline of the 

survey instrument with the participation of NCLIS 

members and staff. In addition, the Advisory Board 

for this study provided suggestions for topics to address concerning public library involvement with the 

Internet. In November 1993, the Advisory Board reviewed a first draft of the survey instrument. Board 

members who offered additional areas of study for the 

survey were required to suggest questions for removal 

from the draft survey. The study team used the comments from the board and NCLIS staff to produce a 

second version of the survey instrument. 

Board members each pretested the second draft of 

the survey instrument with at least four librarians of 

the type who would receive the final questionnaire -

two who are now connected to the Internet and two 

who are not. By December 20, 1993, the study team 

received over 30 completed pretest instruments along 

with comments from the board members. The study 

team finalized the survey instrument on December 30, 

1993, and mailed out the final survey to participating 

public libraries during the first week of 1994 with a 

request for response by January 31, 1994 (see Appendix A for a copy of the final survey instrument). 

An analysis of respondents indicated no 

nonresponse bias. The survey results are representative of national demographics - indicating excellent 

representation of the broader public library population (see Figure 1). 

Public Libraries and the Internet 

Survey Procedures 

This study deployed a number of devices to increase the likelihood of prompt response from libraries: 

• Sending a postcard via first-class mail to sampled 

libraries in late December 1993 to alert the library 

director that the survey would be coming. The 

postcard explained the importance of prompt 

response and asked the library director to notify 

the survey office if a survey was not received as 

of January 15, 1994 (see Appendix B for a copy of 

the postcard). A number of postcards were returned as undeliverable by the post office, allowing survey staff to locate correct addresses for the 

survey forms. In addition, the alert postcard resulted in at least 20 requests for those who did 

not receive surveys. 

• Sending a cover letter on NCLIS stationary and 

signed by Jeanne Hurley Simon, the newly appointed chair of the Commission, along with the 

survey. The letter explained the purpose of the 

survey and stressed the importance of prompt 

response (see Appendix C for a copy of the letter). 

• Providing notices in pertinent library literature 

to announce the conduct of the survey. An announcement in Libran; Hotline in the November 

1, 1993, issue gave early notice of the survey and 

its purpose, promising a report in the spring of 

1994. A note in the November/December issue 

of Public Libraries also alerted librarians to the 

survey and increased the legitimacy of the survey with the public library community. 

• Mailing surveys via first-class mail with a firstclass stamp affixed to the return envelope. 

• Sending a letter, through NCLIS, to each state library agency in early January 1994 with a list of 

those public libraries in the state that were included in the sample. This letter asked for any 

cooperation the state library agency could provide in ensuring a high response rate. 

• Performing a second mailing of the survey in February 1994 to nonresponding libraries indicating 

that the survey staff had not yet received a response and asking for a reply by February 14, 

1994. 
Final Report 7 

Figure 1. Check on Study Sample and Response Quality. 

% in Population 

1 Million+ 0.2% 

500,000 - 999,999 0.6% 

250,000 - 499,999 1.0% 

100,000 - 249,999 3.2% 

50,000 - 99,999 5.3% 

25,000 - 49,999 9.1% 

10,000 - 24,999 18.4% 

5,000 - 9,999 16.3% 

Less than 5,000 46.0% 

Overall 100.0% 

e Faxing each state library agency with 

nonresponding libraries a list that included the 

names and telephone numbers of nonresponding 

libraries in early March 1994. The fax asked for 

assistance in increasing the response rate. 

e Faxing copies of the survey forms to sampled libraries and state library agencies on request. 

Also, completed survey forms were received by 

fax. The survey staff did not originally plan to 

incorporate fax capabilities into the methodology 

of this study. The use of fax technology did, however, increase the study response rate. 

Clearly, the cooperation of the state library agencies 

was instrumental in the researchers' being able to obtain a high response rate in a matter of a few months. 

Sampling and Data Analysis Procedures 

The sample was selected from the Federal-State 

Cooperative System for Public Library Data 1991 Universe File of public libraries maintained by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) in November 1993. The list, composed of 9,050 public libraries, was stratified by library legal service area class3 

and, within legal service area class, by four Census 

Regions.4 The sample was selected using a systematic 

probability proportional to size sampling procedure 

as developed by NCES. The measure of size was the 

square root of library legal service area.5 Based on the 

above technique, a sample was drawn of 1,495 public 

libraries. A total of 1,148 surveys were returned, for a 

response rate of 76.8%. 

% in Sample % of Respondents 

0.2% 0.3% 

0.6% 0.6% 

1.0% 1.2% 

3.2% 3.9% 

5.7% 6.4% 

9.7% 10.3% 

18.3% 18.4% 

17.1% 17.4% 

44.1% 43.6% 

100.0% 100.0% 

This sampling method assigns each sampled library 

a weight to reflect its contribution to the estimates for 

the population. The sample included all larger libraries (those servings populations above 100,000), and 

thus they received a weight of one. Libraries serving 

smaller communities received larger weights to the 

degree that the proportion of their stratum sampled 

was smaller. Furthermore, after determining the final 

response rate, adjustments were made to the weights 

within sampling strata to allow national estimates that 

compensated for nonresponding libraries. 

In order to produce a national estimate, the weights 

for the libraries that furnished a value were summed. 

This provided an estimated count of the libraries nationally with that value. For example, to estimate the 

number of libraries with an Internet connection, for 

each responding library, the weights of all libraries that 

indicated they had an Internet connection were 

summed. Percentages were then calculated in the conventional way. 

Any estimates to be derived in the future from this 

data set will need to follow these same procedures. 

Direct calculations from the sample data will not produce correct estimates6• 

Some Public Library Demographics 

Public library expenditures and number of employees vary by both region and population of legal service area. As library population of legal service area 

increases, so does the number of full-time equivalents 

(FTEs) and material and operating expenditures. The 
8 

national average of FTEs is 4.1, with the average public library having operating expenditures last fiscal 

year of $484,067.88 and material expenditures of 

$73,929.58 (see Figure 2). These figures closely match 

those found by NCES (1993), providing additional 

verification of the quality of the data. 

Figure 2 clearly shows that, as library population 

of legal service area increases, so too do the average 

number of library FTEs and the average operating and 

material expenditures. Figure 3 indicates, however, 

that the distribution of public library material and 

operating expenditures, as well as the number of FTE 

staff, is not even across the nation. Rather, material 

and operating expenditures for the last fiscal year and 

FTEs were greatest in the West, followed by the South. 

Accessing the Internet 

This portion of the results section presents findings 

concerning factors and motivations affecting public library involvement with the Internet. 

Factors Affecting Public Library Involvement with the 

Internet 

Several factors affect public library involvement 

with the Internet. Indeed, as Figure 4 demonstrates, 

public libraries indicate that all identified factors are 

important in determining library Internet involvement, 

with importance ratings ranging from 1.95 to 2.60 

(1 = very important, 5 = very unimportant). In parPublic Libraries and the Internet 

ticular, the key factors are the cost of an Internet connection, closely followed by adequate time for library 

staff to develop expertise in using the Internet. As the 

data in Figure 4 demonstrate, public libraries serving 

populations of legal service areas between 10,000 and 

49,999 and again between 100,000 and 999,999 indicate that adequate time for library staff to develop expertise in using the Internet is a major factor affecting 

library involvement with the Internet. At the same 

time, public libraries that service legal population areas under 10,000 consider costs of Internet connections 

the most important factor in determining Internet interaction. Interestingly, public libraries that have populations of legal service areas of greater than one million consider the degree of interest that their governing bodies exhibit in the Internet as the most important factor affecting their current interaction with the 

Internet. Moreover, public libraries that operate within 

legal service population areas of between 50,000 and 

99,999 responded that the necessary staff skills to navigate the Internet affects those libraries' current involvement with the Internet. 

In regard to the factors affecting current public library involvement with the Internet by geographic 

region, the data show that public libraries in the Midwest and West consider connection costs to be the most 

important factor affecting Internet involvement (see 

Figure 5). In contrast, libraries in the Northeast and 

South indicate that staff time to develop expertise in 

using the Internet is the most important factor affecting Internet use. 

Figure 2. Public Library Average FTEs, Material Expenditures, and Operating Expenditures by Population 

of Legal Service Area. 

Average FTEs Average Operating Expenditures Average Material Expenditures 

1 Million+ 185.8 $30,551,227.10 $3,517,661.06 

500,000 - 999,999 92.8 $14,338,159.94 $2,326,303.55 

250,000 - 499,999 33.8 $5,329,118.03 $779,109.88 

100,000 - 249,999 15.6 $2,287,403.04 $355,837.47 

50,000 - 99,999 8.3 $1,111,280.41 $162,449.16 

25,000 - 49,999 7.7 $627,939.21 $94,149.85 

10,000 - 24,999 2.8 $282,987.38 $47,204.71 

5,000 - 9,999 1.3 $101,300.09 $20,269.72 

Less than 5,000 0.9 $25,928.18 $5,811.00 

Overall 4.1 $484,067.88 $73,929.58 
Final Report 9 

Figure 3. Public Library Average FTEs, Material Expenditures, and Operating Expenditures by Region. 

Average FTEs Average Operating Expenditures Average Material Expenditures 

Midwest 3.6 

Northeast 3.5 

South 4.5 

West 6.9 

Overall 4.1 

A slightly different library Internet involvement 

picture develops when the data are analyzed by urban (public libraries with populations of legal service 

areas of 250,000 or greater) and rural (public libraries 

with population of legal service areas of 25,000 or less) 

public libraries (see Figure 6). While cost of connection is the dominant factor affecting library involvement, urban libraries consider the availability of staff 

time to develop expertise in use of the Internet to be 

the primary factor affecting involvement with the 

Internet, followed by staff skills to navigate the Internet 

and the availability of training on the uses of the 

Internet. Rural libraries, on the other hand, consider 

the costs of Internet connections to be the primary factor in current library Internet involvement, followed 

by staff time to develop expertise in use of the Internet 

and the availability of training on the uses of the 

Internet. 

Public Library Motivation in the Internet 

As Figure 7 shows, 33.1% of public libraries consider statewide initiatives to be the primary motiva-

$363,013.86 $60,847.52 

$390,634.74 $56,388.60 

$576,612.25 $96,445.40 

$997,898.51 $127,530.70 

$484,067.88 $73,929.58 

tion for public library interest in the Internet. Furthermore, 26.5% of libraries indicate that the primary motivation for Internet interest comes from the library 

administration, with another 17.8% indicating primary 

motivation through library strategic planning. Figure 

7 also demonstrates a clear Internet impetus breakdown: Library strategic planning supplies library 

Internet interest in the largest libraries, library administration provides library Internet interest in mediumsized to large libraries, and statewide initiatives supply Internet interest in small libraries. 

Motives for interest in the Internet vary little by 

region. Public libraries in the Midwest, Northeast, and 

West consider statewide initiatives to be the primary 

catalyst for interest in the Internet, with 33.3%, 36.1 %, 

and 33.8% respectively (see Figure 8). Public libraries 

in the South, meanwhile, indicate that library administration provides the library's primary interest in the 

Internet, with 39.8%. 

The data show similar findings for interest in the 

Internet by public library material and operating exFigure 4. Factors Affecting Public Library Involvement with the Internet by Population of Legal Service 

Area. 

l=Very Important Costs of Staff time Availability Staff skills Costs of Costs of In-house Staff Level of Degree of 

5=Very Unimportant connection to develop of training to navigate software hardware technical awareness of community interest by 

expertise the Internet expertise the Internet interest governing body 

1 Million+ 2.36 1.87 1.94 1.95 2.48 2.08 2.15 2.26 2.56 1.05 

500,000 • 999,999 2.58 1.93 2.19 2.07 2.64 2.64 2.46 2.32 2.41 2.72 

250,000 • 499,999 2.35 1.93 2.11 2.08 3.12 2.75 2.39 2.39 2.84 3.07 

100,000 • 249,999 2.17 1.78 2.06 1.88 2.68 2.52 2.38 2.41 2.66 2.76 

50,000 • 99,999 1.90 1.77 1.90 1.75 2.49 2.35 2.27 2.23 2.62 2.67 

25,000 • 49,999 1.66 1.41 1.51 1.50 2.05 1.98 1.94 2.02 2.06 2.12 

10,000 • 24,999 1.96 1.77 1.90 1.90 2.32 2.31 2.25 2.50 2.54 2.66 

5,000 • 9,999 2.01 2.02 2.14 2.09 2.37 2.40 2.31 2.49 2.77 2.77 

Less than 5,000 1.83 2.04 2.05 2.14 2.04 2.10 2.18 2.31 2.48 2.39 

Overall 1.95 1.96 2.05 2.06 2.28 2.29 2.29 2.43 2.60 2.60 
10 Public Libraries and the Internet 

Figure 5. Factors Affecting Public Library Involvement with the Internet by Region. 

l=Very Important Costs of Staff time Availability Staff skills Costs of Costs of In-house Staff Level of Degree of 

5=Very Unimportant connection to develop of training to navigate software hardware technical awareness of community interest by 

expertise the Internet expertise the Internet interest governing body 

Midwest 1.78 1.95 2.04 2.10 2.16 2.17 2.28 2.35 2.55 2.61 

Northeast 2.01 1.92 1.98 1.99 2.33 2.36 2.22 2.47 2.63 2.63 

South 2.15 1.98 2.13 2.07 2.33 2.36 2.37 2.43 2.69 2.61 

West 1.98 2.02 2.14 2.14 2.42 2.34 2.32 2.59 2.50 2.46/l 

Overall 1.95 1.96 2.05 2.06 2.28 2.29 2.29 2.43 2.60 2.60 

Figure 6. Urban and Rural Public Library Factors Affecting Library Involvement with the Internet. 

l=Very Important Costs of Staff time Availability Staff skills 

S=Very Unimportant connection to develop of training to navigate 

expertise the Internet 

Urban Libraries 2.36 1.92 2.07 2.02 

Rural Libraries 1.32 1.49 1.52 1.55 

Overall 1.34 1.50 1.53 1.56 

Urban Libraries= Population of Legal Service Area of 250,000 or greater; 

Rural Libraries= Population of Legal Service Area of 25,000 or less. 

Costs of 

software 

2.80 

1.61 

1.63 

Costs of Level of Degree of In-house Staff 

hardware community interest by technical awareness of 

interest governing body expertise the Internet 

2.60 2.59 2.81 2.38 2.35 

1.66 1.74 1.74 1.76 1.90 

1.68 1.76 1.76 1.77 1.91 

Figure 7. Primary Motivation for Interest in the Internet by Population of Legal Service Area. 

Statewide Library Library Other Internal Community 

initiatives administration strategic staff strategic 

planning expertise planning 

1 Million+ 0.0% 19.6% 57.2% 5.6% 17.6% 0.0% 

500,000 - 999,999 13.5% 14.2% 57.6% 4.9% 9.8% 0.0% 

250,000 - 499,999 22.8% 30.2% 31.0% 0.0% 14.7% 1.3% 

100,000 - 249,999 16.4% 33.5% 28.3% 8.1% 9.8% 3.9% 

50,000 - 99,999 23.2% 30.0% 20.6% 9.0% 14.8% 2.4% 

25,000 - 49,999 28.1% 33.5% 20.4% 10.1% 6.4% 2.2% 

10,000 - 24,999 29.3% 31.6% 19.3% 8.7% 8.8% 2.4% 

5,000 - 9,999 32.8% 28.5% 20.9% 9.3% 6.1% 2.5% 

Less than 5,000 41.0% 20.3% 12.2% 16.2% 5.9% 4.4% 

Overall 33.1% 26.5% 17.8% 11.7% 7.4% 3.2% 
Final Report 11 

Figure 8. Primary Motivation for Interest in the Internet by Region. 

Statewide Library 

initiatives administration 

Midwest 33.3% 23.6% 

Northeast 36.1% 21.4% 

South 28.8% 39.8% 

West 33.8% 25.7% 

Overall 33.1% 26.5% 

penditures for last fiscal year (see Figures 9 and 10). 

For public libraries with material expenditures of over 

$500,000, library strategic plans are the catalyst for library interest in the Internet. In addition, libraries with 

between $50,000 and $499,999 in annual material expenditures indicate that the library administration provides the library's primary interest in the Internet, 

while libraries expending less than $50,000 on materials consider statewide initiatives to be the catalysts for 

Internet involvement. Similarly, public libraries with 

operating expenditures exceeding $5,000,000 claim library strategic planning to be the primary reason for 

Internet involvement. At the same time, libraries with 

operating expenditures of between $500,000 and 

$4,999,999 indicate that the library administration furnishes primary involvement in the Internet. Libraries 

with less than $100,000 of operating expenses consider 

statewide initiatives the primary motivation for 

Internet involvement. 

Library Other Internal Community 

strategic staff strategic 

planning expertise planning 

15.1% 15.2% 7.9% 4.9% 

20.3% 11.0% 9.1% 2.1% 

15.1% 9.5% 4.5% 2.4% 

26.4% 5.6% 6.8% 1.8% 

17.8% 11.7% 7.4% 3.2% 

As Figure 11 shows, urban and rural public library 

motivations for interest in the Internet differ. Of urban libraries, 42.3% indicate that library strategic planning is the primary impetus for library interest in the 

Internet, followed by library administration and statewide initiatives. In contrast, 35.1 % of rural libraries 

consider statewide initiatives the driving force behind 

interest in the Internet, followed by library administration and library strategic planning. 

Public Library and Federal Government Roles in the 

Internet 

Roles that public librarians described as important 

for public libraries in the electronic networked environment are described in this section, along with possible roles the federal government can play in helping 

public libraries gain access to the Internet. 

Figure 9. Primary Motivation for Interest in the Internet by Material Expenditures for the Last Fiscal Year. 

Statewide Library Library Other Internal staff Community 

initiatives administration strategic expertise strategic 

planning planning 

$1 Million+ 11.9% 22.1% 48.1% 2.4% 13.3% 2.3% 

$500,000 - $999,999 13.2% 28.5% 33.9% 6.5% 16.9% 1.0% 

$100,000 - $499,999 19.6% 31.5% 27.4% 8.5% 10.4% 2.6% 

$50,000 - $99,999 29.4% 31.5% 18.6% 9.5% 9.6% 1.4% 

Less than $50,000 38.0% 24.1% 16.2% 11.3% 6.0% 4.4% 

Overall 33.6% 26.1% 18.9% 10.5% 7.4% 3.7% 
12 Public Libraries and the Internet 

Figure 10. Primary Motivation for Interest in the Internet by Operating Expenditures for the Last Fiscal 

Year. 

Statewide Library Library Other Internal Community 

initiatives administration strategic staff strategic 

$5 Million+ 11.4% 

$1 Million - 4.999 Million 16.2% 

$500,000 - $999,999 18.8% 

$100,000 - $499,999 32.5% 

Less than $100,000 39.9% 

Overall 33.1% 

Public Library Roles 

Public librarians agree that the public library can 

serve a variety of functions in the electronic networked 

environment (see Figure 12). Survey respondents agree 

that public libraries should provide Internet-based 

services to library patrons. Respondents agree that 

public libraries should serve as safety nets for public 

access to the Internet, that libraries should not charge 

patrons for Internet-based services, and that for successful development of the Internet, public libraries 

require monetary support. Figure 12 also shows that 

libraries serving legal communities of less than 5,000 

agree most strongly that public libraries need monetary support, while libraries that serve legal communities of greater than 250,000 agree most strongly that 

public libraries should provide Internet-based services 

to patrons. The data show, however, that public libraries serving legal communities of between 50,000 

planning expertise planning 

26.6% 42.8% 2.8% 15.4% 1.0% 

33.9% 25.8% 9.4% 12.4% 2.3% 

34.9% 21.1% 10.1% 12.9% 2.2% 

28.8% 23.3% 6.0% 7.6% 1.8% 

22.1% 13.2% 14.0% 5.7% 5.2% 

26.3% 18.6% 10.6% 7.7% 3.6% 

and 249,999 most strongly agree that public libraries 

should serve as an Internet public access safety net. 

As such, larger libraries tend to agree with the provision of patron-based network services, while mediumsized libraries agree with the safety net function, and 

smaller libraries agree with the need for public library 

support. 

As Figure 13 indicates, public librarians' agreement 

with public library roles and functions varies by geographic region. Libraries in the Midwest and Northeast, for example, most agree with the statement that 

public libraries should provide Internet services without charge to library patrons. Libraries in the South, 

however, most strongly agree that public libraries 

should provide Internet-based services to library patrons, while libraries in the West most agree that libraries should serve as a safety net for public access to 

the Internet. 

Figure 11. Urban and Rural Library Motivation for Interest in the Internet. 

Statewide Library Library Other 

initiatives administration strategic 

planning 

Urban Libraries 17.3% 24.0% 42.3% 2.2% 

Rural Libraries 35.1% 26.1% 16.6% 12.3% 

Overall 34.7% 26.0% 17.2% 12.1% 

Urban Libraries= Population of Legal Service Area of 250,000 or greater; 

Rural Libraries= Population of Legal Service Area of 25,000 or less. 

Internal staff Community 

expertise strategic 

planning 

13.5% 0.7% 

6.6% 3.3% 

6.8% 3.2% 
Final Report 13 

Figure 12. Public Librarians Agreement/Disagreement with Public Library Roles in the Internet by 

Population of Legal Service Area. 

l=Strongly Agree Public libraries Public libraries Internet services Future monetary 

5=Strongly Disagree should provide should serve as a provided through support for public 

Internet-based safety net for public libraries libraries is integrally 

services to public access to should be without linked to the developlibrary patrons the Internet charge to the patron ment of the Internet 

1 Million+ 1.19 

500,000 - 999,999 1.52 

250,000 - 499,999 1.62 

100,000 - 249,999 1.76 

50,000 - 99,999 1.91 

25,000 - 49,999 1.68 

10,000 - 24,999 1.99 

5,000 - 9,999 1.74 

Less than 5,000 1.54 

Overall 1.70 

Figure 14 shows urban and rural public library 

agreement with these roles. The data indicate that both 

rural and urban public libraries most agree that public libraries should provide Internet-based library services. They diverge, however, in agreement with other 

library roles and functions in the Internet. After 

Internet-based service provision, urban libraries most 

agree that public libraries should serve as a safety net 

for public access to the Internet, that libraries should 

provide Internet services to patrons without charge, 

and that future support for libraries is linked to the 

development of the Internet. Rural libraries, after 

Internet-based services, agree that libraries should provide Internet services to patrons free of charge, that 

libraries should serve as a safety net for public access 

to the Internet, and that future support for libraries is 

linked to the development of the Internet. 

Federal Government Roles 

The federal government can help public libraries 

migrate to the Internet in many ways (see Figure 15). 

Most importantly, public librarians indicate that the 

federal government should help public libraries to 

connect to the Internet. After network connection assistance, public librarians rank, in descending order, 

possible federal government roles as supporting the 

1.38 1.88 1.96 

1.56 2.12 2.13 

1.62 1.98 2.26 

1.71 2.01 2.10 

1.80 2.29 2.42 

1.75 2.01 2.31 

1.94 1.89 2.32 

1.82 1.91 1.94 

1.62 1.49 1.43 

1.74 1.76 1.86 

purchase of necessary Internet access equipment, supporting network-based research and development 

(R&D) efforts, and providing Internet-based training 

assistance. It is interesting to note that libraries with 

populations of legal service area above 25,000 rank federal support for R&D efforts second, followed by support for the purchase of equipment and training assistance. Libraries with populations of legal service areas under 5,000, however, rank federal government 

support in the purchase of necessary Internet access 

equipment highest. This may indicate that the smallest public libraries do not posses the most basic requirement needed to join the electronic networked 

environment: the necessary equipment (minimally a 

computer with a modern and communications software). As Figure 16 shows, there is little variance in 

public librarian ranking of possible federal government roles for the electronic networked environment 

by geographic region. 

Urban libraries differ from rural libraries in their 

ranking of potential federal government roles in support of public library use of the Internet (see Figure 

17). Overall, connecting public libraries to the Internet, 

support for R&D efforts, and support for the purchase 

of equipment, and training assistance are all highly 

ranked as important federal roles. 
14 Public Libraries and the Internet 

Figure 13. Public Librarians' Agreement/Disagreement with Public Library Roles in the Internet by 

Region. 

l=Strongly Agree Public libraries Public libraries Internet services Future monetary 

5=Strongly Disagree should provide should serve as a provided through support for public 

Internet-based safety net for public libraries libraries is integrally 

services to public access to should be without linked to the developlibrary patrons the Internet charge to the patron ment of the Internet 

Midwest 1.74 

Northeast 1.72 

South 1.54 

West 1.85 

Overall 1.70 

Figures 18 and 19 show public librarians' rankings 

of federal government roles in supporting public library Internet use by material and operating expenditures, respectively. Of particular interest in these figures are the libraries with material expenditures of 

under $50,000 and operating expenditures of under 

$100,000. These libraries, with relatively low operating and material expenditures, rank federal support 

for the purchase of equipment highest, followed by 

help with connecting public libraries to the Internet. 

As previously noted, this indicates that the smaller libraries, generally those with small operating and material expenditures, do not posses the necessary equipment to make the transition to the electronic networked 

environment. 

1.81 1.72 

1.70 1.59 

1.62 1.91 

1.77 2.10 

1.74 1.76 

The Current State of Public Library 

Internet Connections 

1.75 

1.90 

1.86 

2.11 

1.86 

The following paragraphs detail the state of public 

library Internet connections, including the number of 

public libraries connected to the Internet, the average 

number of Internet addresses per library, the type of 

Internet connection libraries have, the type of network 

connection provider libraries use, and the estimated 

cost of library Internet connections. 

Percentage of Public Libraries Connected to the Internet 

and Average Individual Internet Addresses 

Of all public libraries, 20.9% currently possess an 

Internet connection (see Figure 20). In general, as the 

Figure 14. Urban and Rural Public Librarians' Agreement/Disagreement with Public Library Roles in the 

Internet. 

l=Strongly Agree Public libraries Internet services Public libraries 

5=Strongly Disagree should provide provided through should serve as 

Internet-based public libraries a safety net 

services to library should be without for public access 

patrons charge to the patron to the Internet 

Urban Libraries 1.54 2.01 1.57 

Rural Libraries 1.69 1.71 1.74 

Overall 1.69 1.72 1.73 

Urban Libraries= Population of Legal Service Area of 250,000 or greater; 

Rural Libraries= Population of Legal Service Area of 25,000 or less. 

Future monetary 

support for public 

libraries is integrally 

linked to the development of the Internet 

2.19 

1.81 

1.81 
Final Report 15 

Figure 15. Public Libraries' Ranking of Federal Government Roles in Supporting Internet Access through 

Public Libraries by Population of Legal Service Area. 

l=Most Important Connecting libraries Support for purchase Support for Training 

4=Least Important to the Internet of equipment R&D efforts assistance 

1 Million+ 1.74 2.82 2.67 2.94 

500,000 - 999,999 1.87 2.68 2.30 3.31 

250,000 - 499,999 1.83 3.09 2.42 3.33 

100,000 - 249,999 1.72 2.51 2.39 2.94 

50,000 - 99,999 1.57 2.57 2.47 2.81 

25,000 - 49,999 1.65 2.51 2.35 2.72 

10,000 - 24,999 1.69 2.07 2.46 2.65 

5,000 - 9,999 1.65 1.88 2.28 2.25 

Less than 5,000 1.59 1.30 1.99 1.76 

Overall 1.63 1.80 2.21 2.23 

Figure 16. Public Libraries' Ranking of Federal Government Roles in Supporting Internet Access through 

Public Libraries by Region. 

l=Most Important Connecting libraries Support for purchase Support for Training 

4=Least Important to the Internet of equipment R&D efforts assistance 

Midwest 1.67 1.73 2.23 2.11 

Northeast 1.68 1.87 2.17 2.23 

South 1.52 1.76 2.16 2.37 

West 1.54 1.92 2.34 2.34 

Overall 1.63 1.80 2.21 2.23 

Figure 17. Urban and Rural Public Libraries' Ranking of Federal Government Roles in Supporting 

Internet Access through Public Libraries. 

l=Most Important Connecting libraries Support for purchase Training 

4=Least Important to the Internet of equipment assistance 

Urban Libraries 1.83 2.93 3.28 

Rural Libraries 1.63 1.70 2.14 

Overall 1.63 1.73 2.16 

Urban Libraries = Population of Legal Service Area of 250,000 or greater; 

Rural Libraries= Population of Legal Service Area of 25,000 or less. 

Support for 

R&D efforts 

2.41 

2.18 

2.19 
16 Public Libraries and the Internet 

Figure 18. Public Librarian's Ranking of Federal Government Roles for Public Libraries in the Internet by 

Material Expenditures for the Last Fiscal Year. 

l=Most Important Connecting libraries 

4=Least Important to the Internet 

$1 Million+ 1.88 

$500,000 - $999,999 1.75 

$100,000 - $499,999 1.67 

$50,000 - $99,999 1.74 

Less than $50,000 1.78 

Overall 1.76 

public library population of legal service area increases, so does the percentage of libraries possessing 

an Internet connection, thus 77.0% of public libraries 

with populations of legal service areas above one million are connected to the Internet, while 13.3% of public libraries with populations of legal service area below 5,000 connected to the Internet. As Figure 21 

shows, the percentage of libraries connected to the 

Internet varies by geographic region. Public libraries 

in the West show the greatest percentage of Internet 

connections (28.2%), while libraries in the Midwest 

show the smallest percentage of Internet connections 

(15.4%). 

On average, each connected library has 4.14 individual Internet accounts, with libraries that have populations of legal service areas of under 5,000 possessing 

an average of 1.63 Internet accounts per library, and 

libraries that have populations of legal service areas 

of greater than one million possessing an average of 

44.48 Internet accounts (see Figure 22). Figure 23 shows 

Support for purchase Support for Training 

of equipment R&D efforts assistance 

2.88 2.33 3.14 

2.74 2.25 3.02 

2.56 2.28 2.80 

2.77 2.55 2.76 

1.61 2.34 2.21 

1.90 2.35 2.37 

little average Internet account variation by geographic 

region. The figures do indicate, though, that public libraries in the West have the highest number of average Internet accounts with 5.28, followed by public libraries in the South with 4.68, public libraries in the 

Midwest with 3.76, and public libraries in the Northeast with 3.74. 

Urban libraries have a considerably higher percentage of Internet connections, 78.9%, than do rural libraries with 16.8% (see Figure 24). Moreover, urban 

libraries possess a higher average number of Internet 

addresses, with 20.84, than do rural libraries, with 1.90 

(see Figure 25). As Figure 26 shows, the percentage of 

Internet connections increases as average library material expenditures increase, with 83.5% of public libraries incurring material expenditures in excess of one 

million dollars connected to the Internet and 13.5% of 

public libraries incurring material expenditures of less 

than $50,000 connected to the Internet. Similarly, as 

Figure 27 indicates, the percentage of Internet connecFigure 19. Public Librarians' Ranking of Federal Government Roles for Public Libraries in the Internet by 

Operating Expenditures for the Last Fiscal Year. 

l=Most Important Connecting libraries Support for purchase Support for Training 

4=Least Important to the Internet of equipment R&D efforts assistance 

$1 Million+ 1.85 2.85 2.41 3.22 

$500,000 - $999,999 1.68 2.74 2.38 2.92 

$100,000 - $499,999 1.60 2.80 2.32 2.74 

$50,000 - $99,999 1.74 2.27 2.54 2.70 

Less than $50,000 1.80 1.41 2.24 2.02 

Overall 1.76 1.90 2.34 2.36 
Final Report 17 

Figure 20. Public Libraries Connected to the Internet by Population of Legal Service Area. 

1 Million+ 

500,000 - 999,999 

250,000 - 499,999 

100,000 - 249,999 

50,000 - 99,999 

25,000 - 49,999 

10,000 - 24,999 

5,000 - 9,999 

Less than 5,000 

Total Libraries Connected 

tions increases with increases in average library operating expenses. Indeed, 83.4% of public libraries that 

have operating expenditures in excess of five million 

dollars have Internet connections, while only 11.5% of 

libraries with operating expenditures of less than 

$100,000 have Internet connections. 

Type of Network Connection and Connection Provider 

The most common type of public library Internet 

connection is VT-100 terminal access (47.1 % of library 

connections), followed by e-mail gateway (13.9% ), and 

dial-up Serial Line Internet Protocol (SLIPP)/Point-toPoint Protocol (PPP) connection (11.8%) (see Figure 28). 

As such, most public libraries that connect to the 

Internet do so with the most basic of available connection types. It is interesting to note that 11.2% of library respondents with Internet connections do not 

know the type of Internet connection their library possesses, with the percentage of those not knowing the 

library's type of Internet connection increasing as library population of legal service area decreases. In 

general, larger libraries possess Internet connections 

77.0% 

64.0% 

76.0% 

54.4% 

43.7% 

27.6% 

23.2% 

12.9% 

13.3% 

20.9% 

that allow full Internet services access through the use 

of direct connect and SLIP /PPP connections. Figure 

29 identifies the type of library Internet connection by 

library geographic region. Of particular interest are 

western libraries, as they possess higher instances of 

direct connect and SLIP /PPP Internet connections, 

with 12.7% and 16.8% respectively. 

Percentages of connection type for urban and rural 

libraries vary only by the percentage of direct connect 

and SLIP /PPP connections (see Figure 30). Urban libraries have considerably greater percentages of direct and SLIP /PPP Internet connections than do rural 

libraries, with 17.9% and 23.0% respectively. 

As Figure 31 shows, a majority of public libraries, 

31.2%, access the Internet through a state library network, with 18.8% using "other" network providers, 

14.4% using commercial providers, and 14.0% using 

local educational organizations. Within the "other" 

category, public libraries indicate that they gain network connectivity predominantly through CLASS providers and regional library consortiums. In general, 

Figure 21. Public Libraries Connected to the Internet by Region. 

Midwest 15.4% 

Northeast 25.9% 

South 18.6% 

West 28.2% 

Total Libraries Connected 20.9% 
18 Public Libraries and the Internet 

Figure 22. Average Number of Public Library Internet Addresses by Population of Legal Service Area. 

1 Million+ 

500,000 - 999,999 

250,000 - 499,999 

100,000 - 249,999 

50,000 - 99,999 

25,000 - 49,999 

10,000 - 24,999 

5,000 - 9,999 

Less than 5,000 

Total Average Addresses 

Figure 23. Average Number of Public Library Internet Addresses by Region. 

Midwest 

Northeast 

South 

West 

Total Average Addresses 

Figure 24. Urban and Rural Public Libraries Connected to the Internet. 

Urban Libraries 

Rural Libraries 

Overall 

Urban Libraries= Population of Legal Service Area of 250,000 or greater; 

Rural Libraries = Population of Legal Service Area of 25,000 or less. 

44.48 

25.37 

13.32 

8.67 

4.48 

3.63 

1.62 

1.16 

1.63 

4.14 

3.76 

3.74 

4.68 

5.28 

4.14 

78.9% 

16.8% 

18.1% 

Figure 25. Urban and Rural Public Library Average Number of Library Internet Addresses. 

Urban Libraries 

Rural Libraries 

Overall 

Urban Libraries= Population of Legal Service Area of 250,000 or greater; 

Rural Libraries= Population of Legal Service Area of 25,000 or less. 

20.84 

1.90 

3.59 
Final Report 19 

Figure 26. Public Libraries Connected to the Internet by Material Expenditures for the Last Fiscal Year. 

$1 Million+ 83.5% 

$500,000 - $999,999 70.7% 

$100,000 - $499,999 46.4% 

$50,000 - $99,999 24.9% 

Less than $50,000 13.4% 

Overall 20.9% 

Figure 27. Public Libraries Connected to the Internet by Operating Expenditures for the Last Fiscal Year. 

$5 Million+ 83.4% 

$1 Million - 4.999 Million 59.8% 

$500,000 - $999,999 31.7% 

$100,000 - $499,999 21.4% 

Less than $100,000 11.5% 

Overall 20.9% 

Figure 28. Public Library Type of Internet Connection by Population of Legal Service Area. 

VT-100 Terminal E-mail Dial-up Other Direct Don't Know 

Access gateway SLIP/PPP Connect Type of Connection 

1 Million+ 40.5% 12.3% 17.7% 0.0% 28.4% 0.0% 

500,000 - 999,999 35.9% 9.3% 27.7% 8.3% 18.8% 0.0% 

250,000 - 499,999 48.7% 11.1% 21.2% 4.0% 15.1% 0.0% 

100,000 - 249,999 52.9% 13.1% 7.8% 8.5% 17.0% 0.6% 

50,000 - 99,999 51.7% 18.7% 15.0% 6.1% 5.0% 3.6% 

25,000 - 49,999 54.3% 16.8% 19.5% 7.3% 2.1% 0.0% 

10,000 - 24,999 47.4% 13.6% 15.2% 7.1% 10.0% 6.7% 

5,000 - 9,999 45.7% 26.9% 11.2% 8.0% 2.0% 6.1% 

Less than 5,000 43.9% 8.1% 2.4% 17.2% 2.3% 34.3% 

Overall 47.1% 13.9% 11.8% 9.4% 6.6% 11.2% 
20 Public Libraries and the Internet 

Figure 29. Public Library Type of Internet Connection by Region. 

VT-100 Terminal E-mail 

Access gateway 

Midwest 41.6% 13.2% 

Northeast 50.8% 16.9% 

South 46.8% 13.5% 

West 46.9% 8.3% 

Overall 47.1% 13.9% 

as library population of legal service area increases, 

so too does public library reliance on commercial and 

local educational institutions for Internet connections, 

with public libraries serving populations of under 

5,000 using commercial providers for Internet connection 5.9%, public libraries serving populations of over 

one million using commercial providers 21.9%, public libraries serving populations of under 5,000 using 

local educational organizations 9.3%, and public libraries serving populations of over one million using local educational organizations 24.0%. As library population of legal service area decreases, however, public 

library reliance on statewide library networks for 

Internet connection increases, with public libraries 

serving populations of over one million using statewide library networks 16.6%, and public libraries serving populations under 5,000 using statewide networks 

41.1 %. Figure 32 demonstrates that, in general, network connection provider does not deviate significantly by geographic region. A notable exception is 

public libraries located in the South. The data show 

that southern public libraries utilize local educational 

organizations and OCLC regional library networks in 

Dial-up Other Direct Don'tKnow 

SLIP/PPP Connect Type of Connection 

13.8% 9.9% 4.8% 16.6% 

7.1% 10.6% 3.9% 10.8% 

14.6% 11.8% 9.8% 3.4% 

16.8% 2.8% 12.7% 12.6% 

11.8% 9.4% 6.6% 11.2% 

greater proportion than libraries located in other geographic regions. 

In looking at network connection providers by urban and rural library categories, the data show that 

urban libraries primarily use commercial providers for 

Internet connectivity with 25.3%, followed by local 

educational organizations with 22.3% and statewide 

library networks with 15.7% (see Figure 33). Rural libraries, on the other hand, predominantly use statewide library networks for Internet connectivity with 

35.6%, followed by other with 17.8% (generally library 

consortiums or CLASS providers) and commercial 

providers with 12.8%. 

Average Cost of Internet Connection and Future Library 

Connection Resource Allocation 

The cost of maintaining an Internet connection 

ranges from an annual average of $108.36 for public 

libraries with population of legal service areas of 5,000 

to 9,999 to $14,697.87 for public libraries with population of legal service areas of over one million, with a 

Figure 30. Urban and Rural Public Library Type of Internet Connection. 

VT-100 E-mail Dial-Up Other 

Terminal Gateway SLIP/PPP 

Access 

Urban Libraries 43.5% 10.6% 23.0% 5.0% 

Rural Libraries 45.7% 13.5% 10.4% 10.7% 

Overall 45.5% 13.2% 11.7% 10.2% 

Urban Libraries= Population of Legal Service Area of 250,000 or greater; 

Rural Libraries= Population of Legal Service Area of 25,000 or less. 

Direct Don'tKnow 

Connect Type of 

Connection 

17.9% 0.0% 

4.4% 15.2% 

5.8% 13.7% 
Final Report 21 

Figure 31. Public Library Type of Network Connection Provider by Population of Legal Service Area. 

State Other Commercial Local OCLC regional Free-net/ Local Don't 

library provider educational library Community government know 

network organization network network organization provider 

1 Million+ 16.6% 21.1% 21.9% 

500,000 - 999,999 17.0% 10.7% 22.2% 

250,000 - 499,999 14.0% 10.2% 27.7% 

100,000 - 249,999 20.7% 22.0% 22.3% 

50,000 - 99,999 24.0% 18.2% 11.3% 

25,000 - 49,999 33.7% 16.7% 19.3% 

10,000 - 24,999 30.2% 19.0% 14.1% 

5,000 - 9,999 33.2% 17.3% 20.3% 

Less than 5,000 41.1% 18.1% 5.9% 

Overall 31.2% 18.1% 14.4% 

national annual average of $1,591.31 (see Figure 34). 

It is significant to note, though, that 39.0% of responding libraries do not know the annual cost of their 

Internet connections, with the greater instance of unknown connection costs, 43.8%, in libraries with popu-

. lations of legal service areas of less than 5,000. Figure 

35 shows that the average estimated cost of an Internet 

connection is greater for libraries in the West and South 

than libraries in the Midwest and Northeast, with 

western libraries incurring the highest costs ($3,080.04) 

and northeastern libraries incurring the lowest costs 

($829.30). Of particular interest is the high instance of 

unknown connection costs in the Northeast and South, 

with 52.5% and 38.7% respectively. Urban libraries also 

incur greater average annual Internet connection costs 

than rurallibraries, $10,461.18 and $414.46 respectively 

(see Figure 36). It should be noted, however, that 29.1 % 

of urban libraries and 40.1 % of rural libraries do .not 

know their average annual Internet connection costs. 

24.0% 11.0% 0.0% 5.4% 0.0% 

15.9% 6.4% 17.7% 2.1% 0.0% 

25.5% 13.5% 2.4% 3.6% 2.4% 

16.4% 8.8% 4.4% 4.0% 1.4% 

22.1% 14.9% 5.2% 1.5% 2.4% 

15.6% 6.1% 1.2% 4.3% 3.6% 

13.7% 7.3% 5.7% 3.0% 6.9% 

7.8% 14.8% 0.0% 0.0% 6.6% 

9.3% 8.7% 10.2% 2.6% 4.0% 

14.0% 9.7% 5.7% 2.6% 4.2% 

There is much variance as to public libraries' expectation regarding their level of Internet resource allocation for the next fiscal year (see Figure 37). Larger 

public libraries indicate, however, that their next year's 

Internet resource allocation will increase from one to 

five percent. Medium-sized libraries expect their current level of Internet funding to continue for the next 

fiscal year. Smaller libraries state that their present 

Internet resource allocation will decline in the next fiscal year. From Figure 38, it is evident that anticipated 

Internet funding allocations will remain the same for 

the next fiscal year for libraries in various geographic 

regions. Libraries in the South do, though, indicate 

that there may be some increases in Internet resource 

allocation. Urban libraries anticipate a one to five percent increase in Internet resource allocation for the next 

fiscal year, whereas rural libraries estimate that their 

Internet resource allocation for the next fiscal year will 

remain about the same (see Figure 39). 

Figure 32. Public Library Type of Network Connection Provider by Region. 

State Other Commercial Local OCLC regional Free-net/ Local Don't 

library provider educational library Community government know 

network organization network network organization provider 

Midwest 25.7% 20.0% 19.5% 5.7% 13.0% 8.8% 2.6% 4.5% 

Northeast 33.8% 22.2% 11.9% 13.4% 6.4% 4.1% 3.1% 4.9% 

South 39.7% 11.2% 3.0% 22.1% 15.0% 3.2% 1.8% 4.0% 

West 25.0% 12.5% 24.4% 21.5% 5.5% 6.7% 2.3% 2.2% 

Overall 31.2% 18.1% 14.4% 14.0% 9.7% 5.7% 2.6% 4.2% 
22 Public Libraries and the Internet 

Figure 33. Urban and Rural Public Library Type of Network Connection Provider. 

State Other Commercial Local OCLC regional 

library provider educational library 

network organization network 

Urban Libraries 15.7% 14.2% 25.3% 22.3% 11.0% 

Rural Libraries 35.6% 17.8% 12.8% 11.4% 8.9% 

Overall 33.6% 17.4% 14.0% 12.5% 9.1% 

Urban Libraries = Population of Legal Service Area of 250,000 or greater; 

Rural Libraries = Population of Legal Service Area of 25,000 or less. 

Free-net/ Local Don't 

Community government know 

network organization provider 

6.8% 3.3% 1.4% 

5.8% 2.6% 5.2% 

5.9% 2.7% 4.8% 

Figure 34. Public Libraries' Average Estimated Cost of Connecting to the Internet by Population of Legal 

Service Area. 

Average Estimated Cost Don't Know Cost 

1 Million+ $14,697.87 36.7% 

500,000 - 999,999 $13,000.80 27.3% 

250,000 - 499,999 $8,064.83 28.6% 

100,000 - 249,999 $2,879.52 37.7% 

50,000 - 99,999 $2,519.65 39.3% 

25,000 - 49,999 $1,220.57 40.6% 

10,000 - 24,999 $268.21 39.1% 

5,000 - 9,999 $108.36 31.6% 

Less than 5,000 $274.37 43.8% 

Total Estimated Average Cost $1,591.31 39.0% 

Figure 35. Public Libraries' Average Estimated Cost of Connecting to the Internet by Region. 

Average Estimated Cost Don't Know Cost 

Midwest $1,486.54 28.1% 

Northeast $829.30 52.5% 

South $2,152.99 38.7% 

West $3,080.04 25.1% 

Total Estimated Average Cost $1,591.31 39.0% 
Final Report 

Figure 36. Urban and Rural Public Library Estimated Cost of Connecting to the Internet Last Fiscal Year. 

Average Cost Don't Know Cost 

Urban Libraries $10,461.18 

Rural Libraries . $414.46 

Overall $1,311.76 

Urban Libraries= Population of Legal Service Area of 250,000 or greater; 

Rural Libraries = Population of Legal Service Area of 25,000 or less. 

Figure 37. Public Libraries' Estimated Internet Resource Allocation for the Next Fiscal Year 

by Population of Legal Service Area. 

l=Decline; 2=Remain the Same; 3=Increase 1-5%; 4=1ncrease more than 5% 

1 Million+ 2.83 

500,000 - 999,999 3.12 

250,000 - 499,999 3.06 

100,000 - 249,999 2.67 

50,000 - 99,999 1.95 

25,000 - 49,999 1.81 

10,000 - 24,999 1.11 

5,000 - 9,999 2.10 

Less than 5,000 0.83 

Total Estimated Resource Allocation 2.32 

29.1% 

40.1% 

39.1% 

Figure 38. Public Libraries' Estimated Internet Resource Allocation for the Next Fiscal Year by Region. 

l=Decline; 2=Remain the Same; 3=lncrease 1-5%; 4=1ncrease more than 5% 

Midwest 2.43 

Northeast 2.12 

South 2.61 

West 2.29 

Total Estimated Resource Allocation 2.32 

23 
24 Public Libraries and the Internet 

Figure 39. Urban and Rural Public Library Estimated Internet Resource Allocation for the Next Fiscal Year. 

l=Decline; 2=Remain the same; 3=lncrease 1-5%; 4=Increase more than 5% 

Urban Libraries 3.06 

Rural Libraries 2.13 

Overall 2.21 

Urban Libraries= Population of Legal Service Area of 250,000 or greater; 

Rural Libraries= Population of Legal Service Area of 25,000 or less. 

Internet Public Library Uses and 

Information Services 

This section provides details on the types of 

Internet-based resources public libraries are using for 

library purposes, patron service provision, and 

comrnunitywide information services. Library-related 

uses of the Internet include Telnet/remote login services, file retrieval, and electronic correspondence. 

Patron-related services include the above, but may 

apply to specific tasks such as federal government 

document retrieval and interlibrary loan. Furthermore, 

this section presents data on the percentage of public 

libraries that furnish public access terminals for patron access to the Internet. 

Weekly Public Library Uses of the Internet 

Figures 40 through 45 show the predominant 

weekly public library uses of the Internet for library 

purposes. The most frequently performed Internet activity is use of electronic mail, with a total weekly use 

of 82.7% (Figure 40), followed by use of resource location services such as Mosaic and Gopher at 68.5% (Figure 41 ), Telnet/ remote login services use of 63.4 % (Figure 42), bibliographic utilities use of 60.2% (Figure 43), 

listservs and electronic discussion lists use of 56.7% 

(Figure 44), and file transfer use of 38.4% (Figure 45). 

Figures 46 through 51 indicate that overall, urban 

library and rural library weekly use of Internet services match that of public libraries in general. In all 

areas of Internet service, urban libraries make more 

use of Internet services than do rural libraries. This is 

particularly the case in library use of listservs / electronic discussion lists and file transfer protocol (FTP) 

services (see Figures 50 and 51). 

Weekly Library Internet-Based Patron Services 

Figures 52 through 58 describe several Internetbased services that public libraries provide library 

patrons per week. The most frequently performed 

Internet-based service for library patrons is acquiring 

federal government documents, with a total weekly 

use of 43.2% (Figure 52), followed by accessing electronic indexes at 42.2% (Figure 53), procuring answers 

to patron reference questions at 40.8% (Figure 54), providing interlibrary loan services at 37.9% (Figure 55), 

accessing electronic journals at 22.7% (Figure 56), providing Internet training programs at 17.0% (Figure 57), 

and downloading software at 7.4% (Figure 58). 

As Figures 59 through 65 show, urban library and 

rural library provision of Internet-based patron services matches generally that of all public libraries in 

the study. In most cases, urban library provision of 

Figure 40. Overall Public Library Use of E-Mail Per Week. 

Never 17.3% 

Less than 5 Times 42.3% 

5-15Times 28.6% 

More than 15 Times 11.7% 

Total E-Mail Use 82.7% 
Final Report 25 

Figure 41. Overall Public Library Use of Resource Location Services (e.g., Mosaic, Gopher) Per Week. 

Never 31.5% 

Less than 5 Times 43.1% 

5-15Times 16.5% 

More than 15 Times 8.9% 

Total Resource Location Services Use 68.5% 

Figure 42. Overall Public Library Use of Telnet/Remote Login Per Week. 

Never 36.6% 

Less than 5 Times 37.2% 

5-15Times 18.1% 

More than 15 Times 8.1% 

Total Telnet/Remote Login Use 63.4% 

Figure 43. Overall Public Library Use of Bibliographic Utilities Per Week. 

Never 39.8% 

Less than 5 Times 39.2% 

5-15Times 14.7% 

More than 15 Times 6.2% 

Total Bibliographic Utility Use 60.2% 

Figure 44. Overall Public Library Use of Listservs/Electronic Discussion Lists Per Week. 

Never 43.3% 

Less than 5 Times 26.3% 

5-15Times 20.4% 

More than 15 Times 9.9% 

Total Listserv/Electronic Discussion List Use 56.7% 

Figure 45. Overall Public Library Use of File Transfer Protocol (FTP) Per Week. 

Never 61.6% 

Less than 5 Times 33.4% 

5-15Times 4.2% 

More than 15 Times 0.7% 

Total FTP Use 38.4% 
26 Public Libraries and the Internet 

Figure 46. Urban and Rural Public Library Use of E-mail Per Week. 

Never Less than 5 Times 5-15Times More than 15 Times 

Urban Libraries 1.8% 17.6% 37.8% 

Rural Libraries 20.7% 46.0% 26.8% 

Overall Use 18.9% 43.3% 27.9% 

Urban Libraries= Population of Legal Service Area of 250,000 or greater; 

Rural Libraries= Population of Legal Service Area of 25,000 or less. 

42.7% 

6.5% 

10.0% 

Total Use 

98.2% 

79.3% 

81.1% 

Figure 47. Urban and Rural Public Library Use of Resource Location Services (e.g., Mosaic) Per Week. 

Never Less than 5 Times 5-15Times More than 15 Times 

Urban Libraries 3.8% 35.4% 38.9% 

Rural Libraries 38.2% 43.7% 12.4% 

Overall Use 34.6% 42.8% 15.2% 

Urban Libraries= Population of Legal Service Area of 250,000 or greater; 

Rural Libraries= Population of Legal Service Area of 25,000 or less. 

21.8% 

5.7% 

7.4% 

Figure 48. Urban and Rural Public Library Use of Bibliographic Utilities Per Week. 

Never Less than 5 Times 5-15Times More than 15 Times 

Urban Libraries 39.4% 28.7% 22.2% 

Rural Libraries 40.4% 39.7% 14.6% 

Overall Use 40.3% 38.7% 15.3% 

Urban Libraries= Population of Legal Service Area of 250,000 or greater; 

Rural Libraries= Population of Legal Service Area of 25,000 or less. 

9.7% 

5.3% 

5.7% 

Figure 49. Urban and Rural Public Library Use of Telnet/Remote Login Per Week. 

Never Less than 5 Times 5-15Times More than 15 Times 

Urban Libraries 6.8% 30.3% 31.0% 

Rural Libraries 44.9% 35.9% 14.1% 

Overall Use 41.0% 35.4% 15.8% 

Urban Libraries = Population of Legal Service Area of 250,000 or greater; 

Rural Libraries= Population of Legal Service Area of 25,000 or less. 

31.9% 

5.1% 

7.8% 

Total Use 

96.2% 

61.8% 

65.4% 

Total Use 

60.6% 

59.6% 

59.7% 

Total Use 

93.2% 

55.1% 

59.0% 
Final Report 

Figure 50. Urban and Rural Public Library Use of Listservs/Electronic Discussion Lists Per Week. 

Never Less than 5 Times 5-15Times More than 15 Times Total Use 

Urban Libraries 5.2% 23.6% 32.9% 

Rural Libraries 54.0% 24.8% 15.6% 

Overall Use 49.0% 24.7% 17.4% 

Urban Libraries= Population of Legal Service Area of 250,000 or greater; 

Rural Libraries= Population of Legal Service Area of 25,000 or less. 

38.4% 

5.6% 

8.9% 

Figure 51. Urban and Rural Public Library Use of File Transfer.Protocol (FTP) Per Week. 

94.8% 

46.0% 

51.0% 

Never Less than 5 Times 5-15Times More than 15 Times Total Use 

Urban Libraries 21.7% 58.2% 16.9% 

Rural Libraries 72.5% 24.6% 3.0% 

Overall Use 67.3% 28.0% 4.4% 

Urban Libraries Population of Legal Service Area of 250,000 or greater; 

Rural Libraries= Population of Legal Service Area of 25,000 or less. 

3.3% 

0.0% 

0.3% 

Figure 52. Overall Public Library Use of the Internet to Provide Federal Government Documents 

for Patrons Per Week. 

Never 56.8% 

Less than 5 Times 39.1% 

5-15Times 3.0% 

More than 15 Times 1.1% 

Total Federal Government Document Use 43.2% 

78.3% 

27.5% 

32.7% 

Figure 53. Overall Public Library Use of the Internet to Access Electronic Indexes for Patrons Per Week. 

Never 57.8% 

Less than 5 Times 30.1% 

5-15Times 7.9% 

More than 15 Times 4.1% 

Total Electronic Index Use 42.2% 

27 
28 Public Libraries and the Internet 

Figure 54. Overall Public Library Use of the Internet to Obtain Answers for Patrons Per Week. 

Never 59.2% 

Less than 5 Times 31.0% 

5-15Times 7.1% 

More than 15 Times 2.7% 

Total Answer Use 40.8% 

Figure 55. Overall Public Library Provision of Internet Interlibrary Loan Services for Patrons Per Week. 

Never 62.1% 

Less than 5 Times 21.1% 

5-15Times 8.0% 

More than"t5 Times 8.8% 

Total Interlibrary Loan Use 37.9% 

Figure 56. Overall Public Library Use of the Internet to Provide Access to Electronic Journals for Patrons 

Per Week. 

Never 77.3% 

Less than 5 Times 20.2% 

5-15Times 2.0% 

More than 15 Times 0.5% 

Total Electronic Journal Use 22.7% 

Figure 57. Overall Public Library Provision of Internet Training Programs for Patrons Per Week. 

Never 83.0% 

Less than 5 Times 15.9% 

5-15Times 0.8% 

More than 15 Times 0.4% 

Total Training Program Provision 17.0% 
Final Report 29 

Figure 58. Overall Public Library Use of the Internet to Download Software for Patrons Per Week. 

Never 

Less than 5 Times 

5-15Times 

More than 15 Times 

Total Software Downloading Use 

Internet-based patron services exceeds that of rural libraries, in particular the provision of federal government documents (Figure 59). When it comes to interlibrary loan services, however, rural library use of the 

Internet surpasses that of urban libraries (see Figure 

61). 

Public Library Provision of Internet 

Public Access Terminals 

Of the public libraries that maintain Internet connections, only 12.7% provide public access terminals 

for patron use (see Figure 66). Of these libraries, 8.4% 

furnish between one and five terminals for patron use. 

It is interesting to note that, overall, the distribution of 

libraries that do provide public access terminals remains fairly even across libraries by population of legal service area. Some smaller libraries, however, do 

exceed larger libraries in their overall provision of 

public access terminals. In general, larger libraries 

provide more terminals for patron use. Figure 67 

shows the provision of public access terminals by geographic region. The data clearly demonstrate that terminal provision is uneven across the country. Public 

libraries in the West and South furnish patrons with 

Internet access terminals in substantially greater percentages, 20.0% and 19.7% respectively, than libraries 

92.6% 

6.1% 

0.4% 

0.8% 

7.4% 

in the Midwest and Northeast, 8.8% and 9.6% respectively. 

From Figure 68, it is clear to see that the percentages of urban and rural libraries not providing public 

assess terminals are the same. The data do suggest, 

however, that urban libraries provide a larger number of public access terminals for patron use. It is interesting to note that libraries that have greater material and operating expenses do not necessarily provide 

a greater percentage of public access terminals (see Figures 69 and 70). Indeed, the highest percentage of public access terminal provision occurs in libraries with 

less than $50,000 of material expenditures and less than 

$100,000 of operating expenditures, with 15.3% and 

19.2% respectively. Lower operating and material expenditures do translate, however, into fewer public 

access terminals for patron use. 

Printing Internet-Retrieved Material 

On the whole, public libraries do not provide hardcopy print versions to patrons of materials accessed 

via the Internet (see Figure 71). Moreover, library provision of hard-copy printouts of Internet material to 

patrons generally decreases as legal service area decreases. A fair percentage of libraries, 43.2%, however, 

Figure 59. Urban and Rural Public Library Use of the Internet to Provide Federal Government Documents 

for Patrons Per Week. 

Never Less than 5 Times 5-15Times More than 15 Times 

Urban Libraries 34.4% 45.5% 14.9% 

Rural Libraries 62.0% 36.2% 1.1% 

Overall 59.5% 37.1% 2.4% 

Urban Libraries= Population of Legal Service Area of 250,000 or greater; 

Rural Libraries= Population of Legal Service Area of 25,000 or less. 

5.2% 

0.6% 

1.0% 

Total Use 

65.6% 

38.0% 

40.5% 
30 Public Libraries and the Internet 

Figure 60. Urban and Rural Public Library Use of the Internet to Access Electronic Indexes 

for Patrons Per Week. 

Never Less than 5 Times 5-15Times More than 15 Times 

Urban Libraries 50.0% 30.2% 11.2% 

Rural Libraries 60.6% 29.3% 7.4% 

Overall 59.7% 29.4% 7.7% 

Urban Libraries= Population of Legal Service Area of 250,000 or greater; 

Rural Libraries = Population of Legal Service Area of 25,000 or less. 

8.6% 

2.7% 

3.3% 

Figure 61. Urban and Rural Public Library Provision of Internet Interlibrary Loan Services 

for Patrons Per Week. 

Never Less than 5 Times 5-15Times More than 15 Times 

Urban Libraries 69.1% 14.0% 11.3% 

Rural Libraries 60.5% 21.6% 7.6% 

Overall 61.3% 20.9% 8.0% 

Urban Libraries = Population of Legal Service Area of 250,000 or greater; 

Rural Libraries = Population of Legal Service Area of 25,000 or less. 

5.6% 

10.2% 

9.8% 

Total Use 

50.0% 

39.4% 

40.3% 

Total Use 

30.9% 

39.5% 

38.7% 

Figure 62. Urban and Rural Public Library Use of the Internet to Obtain Answers for Patrons Per Week. 

Never Less than 5 Times 5-15Times More than 15 Times 

Urban Libraries 31.6% 45.5% 15.6% 

Rural Libraries 65.7% 25.7% 5.8% 

Overall 62.6% 27.4% 6.7% 

Urban Libraries= Population of Legal Service Area of 250,000 or greater; 

Rural Libraries= Population of Legal Service Area of 25,000 or less. 

7.4% 

2.8% 

3.2% 

Total Use 

69.4% 

34.3% 

37.4% 

Figure 63. Urban and Rural Public Library Use of the Internet to Provide Access to Electronic Journals 

for Patrons Per Week. 

Never Less than 5 Times 5-15Times More than 15 Times 

Urban Libraries 64.7% 30.9% 3.3% 1.1% .................... ....... ..._ .................... o..o.&.00.~ .... &&AOAOO.•oAO.O.U.O. ............................. ,.,,.-.........u.. ..................................... u .... , ......... u., .......................... 

Rural Libraries 79.0% 18.2% 2.2% 0.6% 

Overall 77.7% 19.4% 2.3% 0.6% 

Urban Libraries= Population of Legal Service Area of 250,000 or greater; 

Rural Libraries= Population of Legal Service Area of 25,000 or less. 

Total Use 

35.3% ............................... 

21.0% 

22.3% 
Final Report 31 

Figure 64. Urban and Rural Public Library Provision of Internet Training Programs for Patrons Per Week. 

Never Less than 5 Times 5-15Times More than 15 Times 

Urban Libraries 76.6% 21.3% 1.1% ................. .-on-. ........ ~ ..... ,_..,,,,.~. 

Rural Libraries 84.4% 15.0% 0.6% 

Overall 83.7% 15.5% 0.7% 

Urban Libraries= Population of Legal Service Area of 250,000 or greater; 

Rural Libraries= Population of Legal Service Area of 25,000 or less. 

1.0% 

0.0% 

0.1% 

Figure 65. Urban and Rural Public Library Use of the Internet to Download Software 

for Patrons Per Week. 

Never Less than 5 Times 5-15Times More than 15 Times 

Urban Libraries 93.3% 5.7% 1.0% 

Rural Libraries 92.4% 6.4% 0.3% 

Overall 92.5% 6.3% 0.4% 

Urban Libraries= Population of Legal Service Area of 250,000 or greater; 

Rural Libraries= Population of Legal Service Area of 25,000 or less. 

0.0% 

0.8% 

0.8% 

Total Use 

23.4% 

15.6% 

16.3% 

Total Use 

6.7% 

7.6% 

7.5% 

Figure 66. Public Libraries that have Access to the Internet and Provide Public Access Terminals 

by Population of Legal Service Area. 

Do Not Provide No 1-5 6-10 llorMore Total 

Public Access Terminals Terminals Terminals Terminals Yes 

Terminals 

1 Million+ 92.0% 92.0% 0.0% 0.0% 8.0% 8.0% 

500,000 - 999,999 75.0% 75.7% 15.9% 0.0% 8.4% 25.0% 

250,000 - 499,999 91.7% 96.8% 1.6% 0.0% 1.6% 8.3% 

100,000 - 249,999 85.2% 86.5% 6.1% 0.0% 7.3% 14.8% 

50,000 - 99,999 93.3% 93.5% 3.4% 1.5% 1.6% 6.7% 

25,000 - 49,999 90.7% 91.8% 5.3% 2.9% 0.0% 9.3% 

10,000 - 24,999 89.2% 92.7% 7.3% 0.0% 0.0% 10.8% 

5,000 - 9,999 88.2% 88.8% 11.2% 0.0% 0.0% 11.8% 

Less than 5,000 82.6% 87.1% 12.9% 0.0% 0.0% 17.4% 

Overall 87.3% 89.9% 8.4% 0.5% 1.2% 12.7% 
32 Public Libraries and the Internet 

Figure 67. Public Libraries that Have Access to the Internet and Provide Public Access Terminals 

by Region. 

Do Not Provide No 1-5 6-10 11 or More 

Public Access Terminals Terminals Terminals Terminals 

Terminals 

Midwest 91.2% 95.5% 3.0% 0.0% 1.4% 

Northeast 90.4% 92.5% 6.6% 0.9% 0.0% 

South 80.3% 81.7% 16.0% 1.0% 1.4% 

West 80.0% 82.1% 14.5% 0.0% 3.4% 

Overall 87.3% 89.9% 8.4% 0.5% 1.2% 

Figure 68. Urban and Rural Public Libraries that Have Access to the Internet and Provide 

Public Access Terminals. 

Do Not Provide No 1-5 6-10 

Public Access Terminals Terminals Terminals 

Terminal 

Urban Libraries 83.4% 89.5% 6.0% 0.0% 

Rural Libraries 83.2% 89.9% 9.6% 0.5% 

Other 83.2% 89.9% 9.3% 0.5% 

Urban Libraries= Population of Legal Service Area of 250,000 or greater; 

Rural Libraries= Population of Legal Service Area of 25,000 or less. 

llorMore 

Terminals 

4.5% 

0.0% 

0.4% 

Total 

Yes 

8.8% 

9.6% 

19.7% 

20.0% 

12.7% 

Total 

Yes 

16.6% 

16.8% 

16.8% 

Figure 69. Public Libraries that Have Access to the Internet and Provide Public Access Terminals 

by Material Expenditures for the Last Fiscal Year. 

Do Not Provide No 1-5 6-10 llorMore Total 

Public Access Terminals Terminals Terminals Terminals Yes 

Terminals 

$1 Million+ 85.5% 87.9% 6.5% 0.0% 5.5% 14.5% 

$500,000 - $999,999 88.6% 89.0% 2.8% 0.0% 8.3% 11.4% 

$100,000 - $499,999 89.0% 89.7% 6.0% 2.2% 2.1% 11.0% 

$50,000 - $99,999 100.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 

Less than $50,000 84.7% 87.1% 12.9% 0.0% 0.0% 15.3% 

Overall 88.4% 89.8% 8.2% 0.6% 1.3% 11.6% 
Final Report 

Figure 70. Public Libraries that Have Access to the Internet and Provide Public Access Terminals 

by Operating Expenditures for the Last Fiscal Year. 

Do Not Provide No 1-5 6-10 llorMore Total 

Public Access Terminals Terminals Terminals Terminals Yes 

Terminals 

$5 Million+ 88.0% 90.0% 4.7% 0.0% 5.3% 12.0% 

$1 Million - 4.999 Million 85.8% 87.1% 7.3% 1.7% 3.9% 14.2% 

$500,000 - $999,999 98.2% 98.2% 1.8% 0.0% 0.0% 1.8% 

$100,000 - $499,999 95.9% 96.2% 3.8% 0.0% 0.0% 4.1% 

Less than $100,000 80.8% 84.5% 15.5% 0.0% 0.0% 19.2% 

Overall 88.9% 90.4% 7.9% 0.4% 1.3% 11.1% 

Figure 71. Public Libraries that Have Access to the Internet and Provide Hard-Copy Print of Materials 

Obtained through the Internet by Population of Legal Service Area. 

Do Not Provide Provide Hard-Copy Provide Hard-Copy Total 

Hard-Copy Print Materials Print Materials Hard-Copy 

Print Materials for Free for a Fee Provision 

1 Million+ 37.8% 54.2% 8.0% 62.2% 

500,000 - 999,999 45.1% 42.7% 12.2% 54.9% 

250,000 - 499,999 55.7% 35.7% 8.7% 44.3% 

100,000 - 249,999 60.4% 30.2% 9.4% 39.6% 

50,000 - 99,999 48.6% 41.4% 10.1% 51.4% 

25,000 - 49,999 55.9% 29.6% 14.5% 44.1% 

10,000 - 24,999 54.9% 24.4% 20.7% 45.1% 

5,000 - 9,999 70.3% 23.5% 6.1% 29.7% 

Less than 5,000 57.7% 29.7% 12.6% 42.3% 

Overall 56.8% 30.2% 13.0% 43.2% 

33 
34 Public Libraries and the Internet 

Figure 72. Public Libraries that Have Access to the Internet and Provide Hard-Copy Print of Materials 

Obtained through the Internet by Region. 

Do Not Provide Provide Hard-Copy Provide Hard-Copy Total 

Hard-Copy Print Materials Print Materials Hard-Copy 

Print Materials for Free for a Fee Provision 

Midwest 52.8% 29.4% 17.8% 30.6% 

Northeast 71.5% 23.9% 4.6% 25.5% 

South 40.7% 39.4% 19.8% 24.9% 

West 46.0% 36.9% 17.1% 19.0% 

Overall 56.8% 30.2% 13.0% 43.2% 

Figure 73. Percentage of Public Libraries that Provide Information Services to a Local Community 

Network or Free-Net by Region. 

Midwest 14.7% 

Northeast 10.6% 

South 9.2% 

West 17.9% 

Total Percentage Providing Information Services 12.8% 

Figure 74. Percentage of Public Libraries that Provide Information Services to a Local Community 

Network or Free-Net by Population of Legal Service Area. 

1 Million+ 13.1% 

500,000 - 999,999 31.6% 

250,000 - 499,999 9.5% 

100,000 - 249,999 13.6% 

50,000 - 99,999 12.2% 

25,000 - 49,999 12.8% 

10,000 - 24,999 10.0% 

5,000 - 9,999 13.8% 

Less than 5,000 13.3% 

Total Percentage Providing Information Services 12.8% 
Final Report 35 

Figure 75. Public Library Number of Computers and Computers with External Communication 

Capabilities. 

Number Computers Owned 

None 1-10 11-25 26-50 

Apple/Macintosh 11.6% 15.4% 0.2% 0.1% 

IBM PC/Clone 6.8% 35.3% 3.5% 0.8% 

Unix Workstation 15.8% 1.6% 0.3% 0.1% 

Other 2.5% 4.7% 0.3% 0.2% 

Total 36.7% 57.0% 4.3% 1.2% 

do provide patrons with hard copies of Internet-acquired material, with 30.2% providing such material 

for free and 13.0% providing such material for a fee. 

In general, the provision of hard-copy material without any patron-incurred fees diminishes as library legal service area decreases. The data show no clear trend 

for fee-for-copy services. From Figure 72, it is clear that 

libraries in the Midwest, 30.6%, provide the greatest 

percentage of hard-copy printouts of Internet-accessed 

material, followed by 25.5% in the Northeast, 24.9% 

in the South, and 19.0% in the West. Free-copy provision is highest in southern and western libraries, with 

39.4% and 36.9% respectively. It is interesting to note 

that, of all northeastern libraries providing hard-copy 

services, only 4.6% charge a fee, compared with 19.8% 

of southern libraries, 17.8% of midwestern libraries, 

and 17.1 % of western libraries. 

Number with External Communication Capability 

51+ None 1-10 11-25 26-50 51+ 

0.0% 17.5% 5.7% 0.1% 0.0% 0.0% 

0.5% 13.4% 40.2% 0.9% 0.2% 0.2% 

0.1% 11.4% 1.7% 0.1% 0.0% 0.0% 

0.3% 3.4% 4.8% 0.1% 0.1% 0.2% 

0.9% 45.7% 52.4% 1.2% 0.3% 0.4% 

Communitywide Information Services 

Figure 73 shows that, of all public libraries surveyed, 12.8% provide information services to a local 

community-based network or free-net. In particular, 

western public libraries provide the greatest percentage of community-based information services with 

17.9%, followed by 14.7% of midwestern libraries. The 

percentage of public libraries providing information 

services to local community networks and/ or free-nets 

drops significantly in the Northeast and the South, 

with 10.6% and 9.2% respectively. As Figure 74 demonstrates, provision of information services to a local 

community network varies little by population of legal service area. A notable exception, however, is the 

library population of legal service area of 500,000 to 

999,999, where 31.6% provide information services to 

a local community network. 

Figure 76. Number of Phone Lines Coming into Public Libraries by Population of Legal Service Area. 

1-5 Lines 6-10 Lines More than 11 Lines 

1 Million+ 0.0% 6.8% 93.2% 

500,000 - 999,999 0.0% 3.1% 96.9% 

250,000 - 499,999 9.7% 13.6% 76.7% 

100,000 - 249,999 13.9% 16.1% 70.0% 

50,000 - 99,999 30.9% 39.8% 48.6% 

25,000 - 49,999 39.1% 36.2% 24.7% 

10,000 - 24,999 64.6% 30.4% 5.0% 

5,000 - 9,999 94.3% 5.7% 0.0% 

Less than 5,000 100.0% 0.0% 0.0% 

Overall 62.7% 15.7% 21.7% 
36 Public Libraries and the Internet 

Figure 77. Number of Phone Lines Coming into Public Libraries by Region. 

1-5 Lines 

Midwest 62.3% 

Northeast 74.1% 

South 53.6% 

West 43.5% 

Overall 62.7% 

Public Library Technology Infrastructure 

This section presents study findings pertaining to 

the current state of the public library information technology infrastructure, defined here as the number of 

computer terminals, computer terminals with external communication capabilities, and incoming library 

phone lines. 

The notion of public libraries serving as public access safety nets for Internet-based resources and services requires that public libraries have, minimally, appropriate computer equipment with dial-out capabilities and an adequate number of incoming phone lines. 

As Figure 75 shows, 36.7% of public libraries possess 

no computers, while 63.4% own at least one computer. 

There are fewer installed library computers with external communication capabilities, 54.3%, than there 

are computers. Moreover, Figure 76 indicates that 

62.7% libraries have between one and five incoming 

phone lines, while 21.7% have more than 11 incoming 

phone lines, and 15.7% have between six and ten incoming phone lines. Figure 76 also demonstrates that 

as library legal service area increases so does the number of incoming library phone lines. 

From Figure 77, libraries in the South and West 

appear to have more phone lines than libraries in the 

6-10 Lines More than 11 Lines 

17.2% 20.5% 

15.2% 10.6% 

20.5% 32.5% 

15.8% 40.7% 

15.7% 21.7% 

Midwest and Northeast. Furthermore, as Figure 78 

indicates, urban libraries have significantly more 

phone lines than do rural libraries. Together, Figures 

75 through 78 indicate that significant numbers of public libraries do not meet the minimum equipment requirements for moving to an electronic networked environment: computers, external communications capabilities, and an adequate number of incoming phone 

lines. 

Successes and Frustrations with Using the Internet 

The survey asked public librarians to identify both 

successful and frustrating encounters with the Internet. 

The request to describe both positive and negative interactions with the Internet generated a large number 

of responses. Most, however, can be categorized under three broad themes - overall Internet use, Internet 

organization, and gaining access to the Internet. 

Internet Use 

Internet use encompasses library access to Internetbased information resources and the subsequent integration of those resources into library operations and 

services. For example, public librarians are able to 

access remote databases searching for information on 

specific topics, send e-mail to various users and/ or 

Figure 78. Number of Phone Lines Coming into Urban and Rural Public Libraries. 

1-5 Lines 6-10 Lines More than 11 Lines 

Urban Libraries 5.5% 9.5% 

Rural Libraries 78.9% 15.4% 

Overall 72.5% 14.9% 

Urban Libraries = Population of Legal Service Area of 250,000 or greater; 

Rural Libraries= Population of Legal Service Area of 25,000 or less. 

85.0% 

5.7% 

12.6% 
Final Report 

connecting institutions, participate in electronic discussion groups, and retrieve electronic documents. 

Such Internet activities can lead to the integration 

of dispersed library information resources. As one 

public librarian stated: 

Now, with Telnet capabilities, we are able to tap 

into their database, referring patrons to materials, checking library hours and school activities, 

and more, quickly and easily. Finally, we can 

communicate with the library "just around the 

corner." 

Another librarian said: 

[The] Internet often lifts us out of our sense of 

"alone in the community" as [an] information 

source. Patrons look over our shoulder at the 

screen and are amazed. 

Furthermore, access to the Internet allows libraries to 

search and retrieve a variety of documents for patrons. 

This is particularly the case with government information: 

[We found] that the SEC [Securities Exchange 

Commission] filings are made available on the 

Internet. Our library does not carry all annual 

reports, lOKs or other SEC filings, so it is great 

to be able to download them immediately. 

Another librarian stated: 

Our library used to receive the Federal Job Opportunity list from the government, but they no 

longer mail it out to libraries. We found the listing on the FedWorld system and now are able 

to download it for patron viewing. 

And: 

We were able to download and provide a copy 

of the President's State of the Union message 

the day after he spoke. We couldn't have filled 

the request without the Internet. 

Access to the Internet can help public libraries provide better patron information services. These enhanced services, however, come at a cost: 

We are afraid [that] small, rural libraries will be 

forsaken. Large libraries already have more access to databases. Cost is prohibitive for our library at the present time although our patrons 

are beginning to demand it. 

Other librarians concur: 

Our phone line bill is out of control. Long distance on a second line plus database charges 

would be financial suicide. Access to a federal 

network should be free, just as federal highways 

are free to the automobile. At present phone bills 

for our one-line voice-only service exceed utility bills at times. We cannot plan on future income levels. 

37 

As these statements show, the Internet, with its rich 

information resources, can help public libraries both 

improve traditional services and generate new services. This is particularly the case with the retrieval of 

documents in general and government reports in particular. There is a catch - new resources will be required to support public libraries' use of the Internet. 

Internet Organization 

The Internet works due to agreed-upon network 

standards, in particular the Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP /IP). Adherence to such 

standards permits users to take advantage of such 

network-based services as Telnet and File Transfer 

Protocol (FTP). While there are mechanisms in place 

that allow remote access to Internet-based information 

providers and file transfer, there is little organization 

of Internet-based information resources. Furthermore, 

the number of network information resource location 

and retrieval tools, such as Archie, Gopher, Wide Area 

Information Service (WAIS), and World Wide Webb 

(WWW) continues to increase. This lack of information organization results in a large learning curve for 

new Internet users. 

Librarians attested to these conditions as follows: 

We are beginning users on the Internet, and our 

greatest frustration is learning what's out there 

and how to access it. So often, even if we find 

the address for something, we can't get on because the combination of" anonymous," "guest" 

and our e-mail address does not work for the 

request for login or password. 

And: 

I attempted to view a huge file I had put in my 

local directory through FTP, not knowing that I 
38 

should have transferred it to my local system 

due to inexperience; I also did not know how to 

back out, and ended up hanging up, hoping the 

charges would not be excessive before the system logged me out for inactivity. 

Also: 

Finding out how to subscribe to or join listservs, 

newsgroups, discussions, etc. -still frustrated!! 

Finding out what is offered by or available from 

each institution requires going in and searching 

their menus, and there are so many! 

Such navigation issues and the tools with which librarians and others can navigate the Internet are, in 

large part, beyond the control of public librarians. 

These responses do indicate, however, that public librarians require a range of training on the fundamental operations and tools available to move around the 

Internet. 

Gaining Access to the Internet 

For public libraries to gain access to the Internet, 

they must, minimally, obtain computing and telecommunications equipment as well as appropriate software, find a network connection provider, and acquire 

appropriate connectivity. Not all public libraries, especially rural libraries, can handle the demands of connectivity. 

Some librarians commented: 

Since I've never tried to get on the Internet before, I didn't realize how many steps would have 

to be completed before I would "be on" - but 

now I know! 

Furthermore: 

We have access to the Internet through a local 

network but have been unsuccessful in connecting with [the] local network. The setup instructions don't work with our high-speed modems. 

Also: 

We find that connecting to other networks is a 

very convoluted process, especially when we are 

ultimately unsuccessful in making the connection. 

Public Libraries and the Internet 

Such comments indicate that librarians have difficulty 

in (1) establishing an Internet connection where none 

currently exists, and (2) creating an operational library 

Internet connection once library Internet connectivity 

exists. 

The responses to the open-ended questions serve 

to confirm and expand upon the study findings. It is 

fair to say that based on the above comments, public 

librarians are interested, indeed anxious, to be connected to the Internet, to learn about resources and 

navigation tools, and to supply Internet-based services 

to their patrons and community. But they require assistance in gaining Internet connectivity, understanding the connectivity process, and becoming proficient 

in the use of the Internet. 

Internet connectivity in public libraries continues 

to increase. These are, however, the most accurate 

national baseline data available to date from which to 

generate policy recommendations on (1) the role of 

public libraries in the Internet, and (2) the role of federal, state, and local governments in helping make the 

public libraries' transition to the electronic networked 

environment. The following section of this report integrates the above findings and draws conclusions concerning the current state of public library involvement 

with the Internet. 

EXPANDING THE POLICY DEBATE 

An important conclusion from the findings presented in the previous section is that there are a number of key differences and disparities among the various public libraries in terms of access, use, needs, and 

other factors regarding their involvement in the 

Internet. One implication to be drawn from these differences is the importance of defining specific federal 

and public library roles and policy positions in enhancing public library involvement in the Internet. Another implication from these findings is the importance of developing a flexible federal policy position 

that can help public libraries in different situations 

solve different types of problems. 

The purpose of this section is to compare and contrast selected findings in a broader policy context. The 

section does not provide an in-depth assessment of all 

the findings. It does, however, highlight those findings seen to be most important for additional debate 

and discussion. Conclusions are linked to key policy 
Final Report 

topics related to the Internet and the development of 

the NII as they are currently being debated. Such an 

assessment suggests strategies for public libraries to 

utilize the networked environment better, and policies that will require special attention by policymakers. 

Disparities Between Urban/Rural Public Libraries 

Different types of public libraries are moving differently into the Internet environment. Public libraries in the Northeast and the West are more likely to be 

connected to the Internet than those in the South and 

the Midwest. Moreover, rural libraries, and those with 

smaller budgets and fewer resources (whether total 

operations or materials) are much less likely to be connected and have much fewer Internet addresses than 

those in urban areas or those with large budgets. This 

is an important disparity among public libraries. 

A similar pattern exists in terms of the type of 

equipment and connectivity available to those public 

libraries connected to the Internet. Although most 

connected libraries use "low-end" connectivity and 

VT-100 terminals, rural public libraries tend to have 

less equipment and fewer phone lines. This disparity 

is likely to contribute to the limited types of Internetbased services and uses employed by rural libraries 

(see the following section). Indeed, the disparity between 79% of the urban libraries being connected to 

the Internet and only 17% of the rural libraries being 

connected is significant. 

Important differences between urban and rural libraries' assessment of factors affecting their involvement in the Internet are also evident from Figure 6. 

Rural libraries see any factor related to cost as much 

more important than their urban counterparts. One 

has the sense that the urban response is "these factors 

are important, but we will go ahead with Internet involvement as best we can," whereas the rural library 

response is "these factors are critical, and without external support, we will not be able to move ahead with 

much Internet involvement." 

Disparities in terms of connectivity to the Internet 

may be exacerbated in the future due to the libraries' 

estimated Internet resource allocations for following 

years. Figures 37-39 all indicate that larger, more urban libraries anticipate "increased spending" in the 

next fiscal year on Internet resources whereas rural libraries expect spending to "remain the same." It is 

important to remember that the "increased spending" 

will occur on an initially larger base amount than the 

39 

amount likely to be budgeted by rural public libraries. Thus, the gulf between Internet connectivity of 

larger, more urban libraries and that of smaller, more 

rural libraries appears likely to widen. 

If the administration and Congress are to advance 

the concept of universal access, these conclusions suggest that a rethinking of existing policy may be necessary. While the Internet is only a part of the evolving 

NII, it is currently a key mechanism for providing access to a range of electronic information. This study 

suggests that access to such empowering technology, 

at least via America's public libraries, is very uneven, 

and that rural libraries may continue to fall further 

behind other types of libraries in providing such access over the shortterm. 

Library Uses of Internet Connectivity 

The findings suggest that public libraries that are 

connected to the Internet are not yet sophisticated users. Figures 40-45 suggest that e-mail is perhaps the 

most frequently used application. While uses of applications such as Gopher, Telnet, accessing bibliographic utilities, discussion lists, and FTP are occurring, they occur much less often than e-mail uses. One 

might also argue that as applications increase in difficulty and knowledge, their use decreases proportionally. 

The disparities in uses of particular applications 

become especially apparent when comparing urban 

and rural libraries (Figures 46-51). Of those rural libraries that are connected, the data suggest that, compared to their urban counterparts, they are making 

limited use of the connection. 

Internet-based library services and resources (Figures 52-58) such as accessing electronic indexes for 

patrons, answering reference questions, accessing electronic journals, providing public training in the use of 

the Internet, and downloading software for patrons 

are being provided, but such provision is only just 

beginning to occur. Such data suggest that 

policymakers will need to consider how best to promote Internet-based programs and services in addition 

to facilitating connectivity. Moreover, providing connectivity does not, in and of itself ensure Internet-based 

applications and the development of user services. 

These conclusions also suggest the importance of 

and need for national programs of education and training related to the use of the Internet. Figures 16 and 
40 

17 indicate that respondents assessed training, as a 

federal role, to be less important than the other possible roles listed. Thus, one interpretation of Figures 

16 and 17, out of context of other findings, might be 

that respondents believe that a federal role in education and training is relatively unimportant. 

But it is well to remember that training issues are 

more likely to arise after connectivity and equipment 

are in place. Thus, a more accurate interpretation 

might be, first, the library needs to be connected to 

the Internet and have basic equipment; second, relative to other possible federal roles, training is seen as 

less important. But from other responses on the survey, i.e., the limited current uses and applications of 

the Internet, as well as responses to the open-ended 

questions, the data clearly indicate a need for more 

and better Internet training. 

Promoting Access to Government Information 

In a number of policy instruments, including Creating a Government that Works Better and Costs Less 

(Gore, 1993) and the National Information Infrastructure: 

Agenda for Action (1993), the Clinton administration has 

stated the following objectives (pp. 11-12): 

" Improve the accessibility of government information 

" Upgrade the infrastructure for the delivery of 

government information 

" Enhance citizen access to government information. 

Federal policymakers have a unique opportunity to 

accomplish these goals by working with the library 

community in general and the Government Printing 

Office Depository Library Program. 

The study finds, however, that 43% of those public 

libraries connected do provide federal government 

documents to patrons via the Internet (Figure 52). 

Given the fact that only 13% provide public access 

Internet terminals, one must conclude that a number 

of specific policy initiatives will be needed for public 

libraries to help the administration better accomplish 

the policy goals in this area. 

In addition, the public library community may wish 

to consider the appropriateness of this role. Unfortunately, the survey did not query respondents about 

Public Libraries and the Internet 

the appropriateness of "promoting access to government information" as a possible role for libraries in 

the networked environment (Figure 12). One can conclude, however, that the administration sees this policy 

goal as important, that public libraries should be supported to accomplish this goal, and that assuming responsibility for accomplishing this goal is appropriate for the public library community. 

Library Expenditures for Internet Services 

Question 10 asked, "Please estimate the total costs 

to the library for providing Internet-related services 

for staff and patrons for the last completed fiscal year 

(to include telecommunication costs, subscription fees, 

software, training, staff time, etc.)." Answers to this 

question are provided in Figures 34-36. An analysis of 

these estimated costs shows libraries in populations 

of legal service areas of one million or more spending 

$14,697, with the figure declining to $108.36 during 

the last fiscal year for libraries serving communities 

between 5,000 and 9,999. 

An analysis of the responses to question 10 by geographic region shows greatest expenditures in the 

West, with an average of $3,080.04, versus a low of 

$829.30 in the Northea_st. Comparing the responses of 

urban and rural libraries reveals a significant disparity between the two: urban libraries spent more than 

$10,000, while rural libraries spent just $400. As suggested in the findings section, these data should be 

used with caution since (1) they are estimates, and (2) 

39% of the respondents checked the response" did not 

know," thus providing no input to the computed averages. 

But for the sake of argument, by using the average 

expenditure of $1,591 per year (see Figures 34 and 35) 

and by using the total number of libraries ( central or 

main libraries) as 9,050 (from recent FSCS data) one 

can extrapolate an estimated total expenditure of 

$14,398,550 by public libraries on Internet-related services for the last completed fiscal year. Such a number 

is a ballpark estimate at best, but relatively speaking, 

the nation's public libraries are spending very little to 

support Internet-based services. Moreover, this 

amount represents expenditures from all sources of 

income - of which the income from federal sources is 

likely to be a small percentage. 

Thus, one might want to consider this key question: Is an estimated total annual expenditure of 

$14,398,550 an appropriate amount for public librar-
Final Report 

ies to spend on Internet-related services? Given the 

Clinton administration's policy goals for (1) connecting "all libraries" by the year 2000, (2) promoting universal access to the evolving networked environment 

for all citizens, and (3) enhancing the public's access 

to electronic government information, the current estimated expenditure of $14,398,550 is insufficient and 

is incompatible with the vision expressed by these 

goals. Policymakers will need greater public debate 

on the degree to which federal funding should be provided to public libraries to contribute toward accomplishing these policy goals. 

Community Networking and Public Libraries 

Community networks, civic networks, and free-nets 

are all a type of electronic network that "improves access to information of all kinds to the general public, 

or to targeted members of the local community who 

are traditionally underserved. Civic network programming can provide access to Internet, job rosters, community listings, educational resources, health information, and governmental databases" (Moltz, 1994, p. 7). 

One could argue that this goal embodies one of the 

most traditional purposes of the public library. 

Figure 31 shows that only 5.7% of public libraries 

have network connections provided by a local freenet 

or community net. Figure 69 finds that 12.8% of public libraries provide information services ( of any type) 

to a local community network. Thus, formal cooperation and coordination between public libraries and 

community networks is just beginning to develop. 

The Clinton administration offered a vision to promote the development of civic networking in its Agenda 

for Action by stressing the importance of civic networking technology for the public interest (1993, p. 15). This 

policy initiative and the initiative promoting the role 

of libraries in the networked environment have a range 

of similar objectives. To date, however, these initiatives 

within these two areas have yet to be coordinated. In 

fact, findings from this survey indicate minimal coordination between public libraries and community networks. 

In an assessment of the development of civic networks, Moltz found that "libraries provide or will provide full support service to as many as half of the queried networks" (1994, p. 22). While survey findings 

reported above show few instances of cooperation and 

coordination between the community nets and public 

libraries, an important policy question is the degree to 

41 

which both types of initiatives should be supported 

and how best these two types of organizations can 

collaborate to serve the public interest. 

Roles for Public Libraries and the 

Federal Government 

The survey asked respondents to assess the importance of the federal role in connecting libraries to the 

Internet, supporting equipment purchases, supporting R&D efforts related to libraries and the Internet, 

and providing training assistance (Figures 15-19). 

While there was wide overall agreement on the importance of these roles, respondents assessed the federal role for connecting public libraries to the Internet 

and supporting equipment purchase as more important than support for training and R&D. 

The role of assisting libraries in connecting to the 

Internet is an infrastructure issue. That is, libraries -

like other organizations -need a telecommunications 

system that, minimally, meets these criteria: can be 

easily accessed, technically reliable, affordable, and 

provides adequate bandwidth. In this area a number 

of state initiatives have been successful. Figures 9-11 

indicate the importance of "statewide initiatives" in 

motivating public library interest in the Internet- especially among rural public libraries. Such statewide 

initiatives, e.g., those of Iowa, Maryland, and North 

Carolina to name a few, suggest the importance of federal-state partnerships in connecting libraries to the 

Internet. 

In reviewing the responses on these figures, however, it is interesting to note that "connecting libraries 

to the Internet" was ranked most important by respondents regardless of geographic area or size of community served. Rural librarians ranked support for equipment purchase and training much higher than their 

urban counterparts. Urban respondents ranked the 

importance of the federal role in training as 3.3 [l=most 

important, 4=least important]. Again, it is clear that 

different federal roles may be required for different 

libraries in different situations. 

The findings from this study indicate clearly that 

public librarians support their own involvement in the 

following two key roles (Figures 12-14): 

• Public libraries should provide Internet-based 

services to patrons; 
42 

• Public libraries should serve as a safety net for 

public access to the Internet. 

There is wide support for these two roles regardless 

of the geographic location of the library or the degree 

to which it is rural or urban. Respondents also agreed, 

regardless of location, that Internet services should be 

provided through public libraries without charge to 

the patron. 

This role of a safety net for public access to the 

Internet is closely related to the administration's policy 

goal of universal access. While definitions for these 

terms are still being debated, the notion of a public 

access safety net implies that the public library (1) has 

the equipment and connectivity for a public access terminal that links the user to the Internet and perhaps 

other electronic sources, (2) can provide basic training 

to the public in how to use this connection, and (3) 

provides the public with some minimum level of access and use without charge. 

There is much common ground between the 

administration's policy goal for universal access and 

the public library's role in serving as a safety net for 

public access to the networked environment. The traditional role of the public library as the "people's university" can be extended into that of a safety net for 

the electronic society. Public debate about how best 

the public library can promote universal access should 

be an agenda item both for the administration and the 

library community. 

The federal government might assume a range of 

roles in support of such a national plan to help public 

libraries make the transition into the networked environment. But regardless of the possible roles, one 

might ask what laws and regulations are in place to 

assist the federal government in assuming these roles, 

to what degree these existing laws and regulations are 

effective - or likely to be effective in the networked 

environment, and to what degree these laws and regulations are currently being funded? 

A detailed analysis of existing federal policy related to libraries in the networked environment is beyond the scope of this report. But in a working paper 

developed as part of this study, the authors concluded 

that the existing policy guidance for helping libraries 

move into the networked environment was inadequate. Further, major revamping and updating of 

such traditional funding mechanisms as the Library 

Services and Construction Act will be needed if the 

Public Libraries and the Internet 

administration's efforts to develop a national plan are 

to be implemented. 

Seeking Solutions 

Overall, the findings suggest that there is an important federal role in promoting the development of 

public libraries in the Internet and the evolving NIL 

That role includes developing policy that promotes 

basic connectivity for public libraries to link to the 

Internet, helps libraries obtain needed equipment, and 

supports Internet training and education for librarians. 

But within this context it is equally clear that the needs 

of rural libraries are, in some instances, quite different 

than those of urban libraries. In addition, some public libraries are already quite well connected and using sophisticated Internet services, while others are 

not. 

A range of interested stakeholders, including 

policymakers, librarians, state and local government 

officials, developers of community nets, educators, private-sector providers, and citizens - to name a fewmust work together to develop a national plan and 

policy for public libraries. The plan should take into 

consideration the various findings and conclusions 

identified in this report, and: 

• Clearly define policy goals related to the role of 

public libraries and the Internet 

• Identify specific strategies by which these goals 

can be accomplished 

• Obtain and allocate resources for the plan to be 

accomplished. 

All stakeholders interested in accomplishing key public-sector policy goals outlined by the Clinton administration in its various NII policy statements will need 

to rethink both federal roles and public library roles 

carefully as the country evolves into a networked society. This report offers some beginning benchmark 

data and a number of findings, conclusions, and recommendations to begin that rethinking process. 

A recent Clinton administration policy document 

discussed the importance and role of libraries in the 

NII and concluded (Information Infrastructure Task 

Force Committee on Applications and Technology, 

1994b, p. 95): 
Final Report 

If libraries are to continue to perform the services currently provided, and at the same time, 

adopt technology that will make their participation in the NII a possibility, then a national 

plan to coordinate and supplement the required 

efforts and funding is essential. 

Leadership from both the administration and the library community is needed to develop such a national 

plan. NCLIS can serve an important role in (1) offering advice to both Congress and the administration 

regarding this topic, (2) bringing key stakeholders together to debate and discuss key issues, and (3) promoting the development of a national plan as suggested by the administration. 

ISSUES AND RECOMMENDATIONS 

The results of this survey have provided a wealth 

of information on the uses, impacts of networked resources, and the degree to which public libraries are 

beginning to integrate them into the mainstream of 

library activities. This section identifies key issues resulting from the survey and the literature review. This 

section also offers a number of recommendations that 

would help public libraries to better serve as a societal safety net and provide a range of value-added information services in the evolving networked society. 

Key Issues 

Issues evolve from social problems when different 

groups of stakeholders (i.e., individuals who may be 

affected by the resolution of the issue) recognize that 

government policies may be developed to contend 

with the problem. Typically, stakeholders have conflicting value systems and wish to achieve differing 

objectives in resolving an issue. The findings from the 

survey, described in the previous section of this report, 

have identified a number of key issues that should be 

considered by federal policymakers, public librarians, 

network services providers, and others. 

Figure 79 represents a summary of the key issues 

raised by the findings. This list is not intended to be 

comprehensive. Rather, it identifies an initial set of key 

issues needing additional debate and resolution. A 

review of these issues suggests a broad range of topics and areas for such debate. 

43 

Recommendations 

Various stakeholder groups can take specific actions 

to enhance the role of public libraries in the Internet. 

Indeed, action will be required from all the stakeholder 

groups if significant changes are to occur and public 

libraries are to play a key role in accomplishing the 

policy goals that the Clinton administration has identified regarding the development of the Internet. The 

recommendations draw upon findings of this survey 

that follows as well as findings of other research recently completed by the investigators (McClure et al., 

1994a; McClure et al., 1994b). These efforts identify a 

clear and common set of recommendations for both 

policymakers and librarians. 

For Policymakers 

The findings from the study suggest that public libraries increasingly are connected to the Internet and 

have the potential to make a significant difference in 

the provision of networked information to their communities. There is, however, a need for clearer public 

policy - especially at the federal level - to support 

this effort. Policymakers can: 

., Define a Federal Role to Support Public Libraries in a 

Networked Society. In recent policy statements 

from the Clinton administration as well as proposed congressional legislation, there is clear 

mention of the importance of connecting libraries to the Internet. There is no clear picture, however, of the role public libraries might serve in 

this networked environment or of the responsibility the federal government has in helping public libraries move into the networked environment. 

For example, public libraries can serve as a safety 

net to society and promote universal access to the 

Internet. The presence of public access terminals 

to the Internet in the nation's public libraries, 

would improve the likelihood of universal access 

to the Internet. Or perhaps the public libraries 

could assume responsibility for promoting "network literacy" much as they have done for traditional literacy. Regardless of the particular role, 

federal policymakers and the public library community must do a better job of clarifying possible 
44 Public Libraries and the Internet 

Figure 79. Issues Concerning Public Library Participation in the Internet and the National Information 

Infrastructure Initiative 

Issues 

Building the National 

Information Infrastructure 

Developing Cooperative 

Ventures with NII 

Participants 

Providing a Societal 

Safety Net 

Becoming Network 

Literate 

Connecting to the 

Information Highway 

Concerns 

Deciding who the key stakeholders are and ensuring their participation in the Nil 

initiative is crucial to the Nil development process. As the data indicate, public libraries look toward the federal government to facilitate public library participation 

in the NII construction to ensure public-interest representation. At present, there is a 

noticeable lack of public library representation on existing Nil planning committees 

(e.g .. , the Advisory Committee to the Information Infrastructure Task Force). 

The Nil initiative requires multiple cooperative ventures between government and 

the private and nonprofit sectors. The public library, as the community information 

provider, can contribute greatly to the Nil initiative. To the extent possible, the federal government should encourage public library participation in the NII coalition 

building process. 

The advanced technology skills and requirements of the Internet can potentially exclude, without proper preventive measures, large segments of the American population from the vital information resources and services provided via the information 

superhighway. Public libraries, as intermediaries between the Internet content and 

the public, can facilitate public access to the information resources and services provided via the Internet. 

The physical and logical processes through which information is sought on the Internet 

are considerably different from current information-seeking processes (e.g., through 

print indexes, CD-ROMs, and online catalogs). Users of the Internet, including librarians, require a new set of information skills to navigate the Internet successfully. 

Moreover, the general public needs a community-based public institution through 

which Internet navigation assistance and training are available. The public library 

institution, with its 9,050 libraries and over 15,482 stationary outlets, could become 

that community-based network literacy center. 

Public libraries cannot initiate large-scale Internet training programs for either librarians or the general public without support from federal, state, and local governments. 

There is a great disparity between library involvement with the Internet. Most libraries, rural libraries in particular, require basic Internet functionality--connections and 

equipment- before training can be addressed. Moreover, due to the disparity in public 

library network needs, training needs are not uniform for all libraries. 

Connecting to the Internet requires technological expertise. Entities seeking Internet 

connections must know who the network access providers are, the types of connection services available, and be able to determine appropriate organization services 

needs. Many public libraries possess network-savvy staff few able to assist in these 

operations and lack adequate means for Internet connection. The federal government can help public libraries connect to the Internet, both with funding and technological assistance. 
Final Report 45 

Figure 79. Issues Concerning Public Library Participation in the Internet and the National Information 

Infrastructure Initiative (continued) 

Issues Concerns 

Developing Network 

Applications Over time, NII participants will develop information and service applications for the 

Internet. To ensure maximum public benefit from these applications, policymakers need 

to establish procedures through which public interest institutions such as the public 

library can participate in Internet application development. 

Providing Electronic 

Government Services Electronic government services will increase. The public library can serve as the focal 

point within local communities for citizens seeking both specific program information 

(e.g., health care) and general government information (e.g., census data). 

Evaluating Network Services Government-provided electronic network services must incorporate feedback mechanisms that measure user satisfaction. Without such measures, government entities will 

not know whether their services meet user needs. Public libraries, as liaisons between 

Internet content and the public, can help the federal government collect service usability and utility information. 

Preserving Copyright/ 

Intellectual Property Rights Current copyright laws do not adequately protect intellectual property distributed via 

a public electronic network. Until network environment copyright issues are resolved, 

a question remains as to the degree electronic public information access points such as 

public libraries can redistribute copyrighted material acquired via the Internet. 

Discrepancies in Access to 

Telecommunications Services Telecommunications services and costs vary widely by geographic location. Rural communities in particular incur substantial Internet connection charges, since they usually 

must dial long-distance to the nearest point-of-presence (POP) of a telephone connection by an Internet service provider. Federal, state, and local governments must ensure 

that geographic location is not a barrier to public library Internet connection and use. 

Pricing Networked Services The initial and recurring costs of connecting and using the Internet can be significant. 

In a time of constrained operating budgets, public libraries must make a crucial choice 

- either to not participate in the Internet or to reallocate funding to access the Internet at 

the expense of other library services. If libraries join the networked society, they must 

decide whether Internet costs should be passed on to patrons. Such fees can exclude 

the economically disadvantaged and create a society of "haves" and "have nots." 

Allocating Adequate 

Resources for Public Library 

NH Participation Connecting to the Internet and providing network-based library information services 

can be significant costs to public libraries. If public libraries are to serve as safety nets, 

serve as network literacy centers, and provide the new services enabled by the NII, they 

will require additional and continued federal, state, and local government support. 

Privacy/Confidentiality of 

Patron Information Requests At present, what library users borrow and what information they request are private 

and protected documents, and thus not available for public review. Laws that protect 

users confidentiality under current systems, however, do not extend to Internet-based 

user information requests. As Internet-based library services increase, patron record 

privacy laws will need to be amended to accommodate the electronic networked environment. 
46 

public library roles in the NII and determining 

how the government can support the libraries' 

assumption of these roles. 

" Promote Network Literacy. A traditional role of the 

federal government has been to promote literacy. 

And, public libraries have supported literacy programs within local communities. The public library will need to promote network literacy in 

addition to traditional types of literacy. Network 

literacy is the ability of an individual to use computer and telecommunications equipment to 

identify, access, and obtain information that is 

available through the Internet (McClure, 1993a). 

Increasingly, individuals who are network illiterate will find themselves at a significant disadvantage. Public libraries can assume responsibility for educating citizens about how to access 

and use networked information and services -

but policy support from the federal government 

is needed to update traditional literacy programs 

to accommodate the networked environment. 

" Promote Statewide Networks. Individual states can 

develop initiatives that establish networks, connect public libraries to the networks, and develop 

and share electronic services. Maryland, North 

Carolina, Iowa, and others states offer excellent 

models of how policy at the state level can be developed to support and enhance the role of libraries in the networked environment. State 

policymakers can learn from these initiatives and 

similar initiatives in other states to promote public library involvement with the Internet. 

" Use Public Libraries to Deliver Government Information and Services. The Clinton administration and 

Congress have produced a number of reports that 

recommend government services and information be developed and delivered in an electronic, 

networked medium (Office of Technology Assessment, 1993). For example, individuals will soon 

be able to check on their social security accounts, 

obtain direct information about crop predictions, 

or obtain current census data over a national network. Not only government information but also 

government services would be made available via 

the network. Indeed, many agencies already are 

engaged in electronic services delivery. 

The nation's public libraries can provide an excellent delivery mechanism to ensure public access to electronic information. As Senator Edward 

Kennedy recently stated (1994, p. 3): 

Public Libraries and the Internet 

Public libraries are a vital information link 

between the government and the public ... , 

libraries must continue to play a critical role 

in providing broad access to the public. Libraries can guide citizens of all ages through 

the world of computer networks. As more 

government information and access are 

available on-line, libraries will make the government less remote and more responsive to 

the needs of individual citizens. 

Public access Internet workstations in every public library would provide all members of the public the opportunity to take advantage of electronic 

government services. Policy should be developed 

to support the public library's role in this area 

and to help public libraries serve as a safety net 

that ensures public access to electronic government information and services. 

" Provide Local Dial-Up Access. Until rural areas can 

access national and international networks such 

as the Internet with a local telephone call, they 

will be at a serious disadvantage compared with 

urban areas, where such local dial-up access is 

the norm. Local access is unlikely to develop 

strictly by market forces. Thus, a very important 

policy initiative that federal and state governments could undertake would be to implement 

policies that make local dial-up access a reality. 

The private sector, especially the telephone and 

telecommunications industries, must also assume 

responsibility in this area. Currently, despite the 

best intentions of the public library community, 

long-distance telecommunication charges may 

make connection to and use of the Internet impossible. 

" Provide Direct Support for the Purchase of Equipment. 

For many small to medium sized public libraries, initial capital expenses for the purchase of a 

computer, modem, software, and related items 

are significant barriers. The federal government, 

perhaps in cooperation with local and state governments, should provide both incentives and 

direct support to help the library community" get 

connected" and operate in the networked environment. Establishment of a universal access 

pool that is supported by a small tariff on telecommunications companies and selected information providers might be one approach to support such a program. 
Final Report 

., Promote the Development of a National Training Effort. At present, the process by which public librarians learn about and are trained to use the 

Internet is uneven at best and nonexistent at 

worst. If public librarians are to become knowledgeable about the Internet, including how to 

connect to it and how to use it as part of their 

library's normal services, a national training effort is needed. Language proposed in the National Information Infrastructure Act of 1993 

(H.R. 1757) states that resources should be made 

available to (p. 10): 

Train teachers, students, librarians, and 

state and local government personnel in the 

use of computer networks and the Internet. 

Training programs for librarians shall be designed to provide skills and training materials needed by librarians to instruct the 

public in the use of hardware and software 

for accessing and using computer networks 

and the Internet. 

Where these resources will come from, what kind 

of training would be done and by whom, how 

the resources would be distributed, and who 

would administer and evaluate the process are 

not explained. 

Public librarians, professional library associations, 

Internet service providers, state library agencies, the 

U.S. Department of Education and other federal agencies, and educational institutions must develop a coherent plan to accomplish the objectives outlined in 

H.R. 1757 and now incorporated into S.4. For public 

libraries to make this transition, however, they will 

need a range of support - the most essential being 

training. 

For Public Librarians 

It would be a mistake, however, to believe that responsibilities for networked information services rely 

entirely with the government. Thus, there are a number of actions that the public library should initiate 

immediately: 

"' Increase Knowledge and Training Related to the 

Internet. The library community must continue 

to increase its knowledge and understanding of 

the Internet. This knowledge will better enable 

them to debate the policy issues listed in Figure 

79. In addition they must continue their training 

47 

in how to use and apply the new networking technologies now available. 

., Obtain Basic Networking Equipment and Connectivity. Public librarians must develop strategies for 

obtaining resources to purchase the necessary 

equipment, pay connectivity fees, obtain training, and otherwise support their Internet connections. The position that public libraries cannot 

afford to connect to the Internet is erroneous; public libraries cannot afford to be unconnected to 

the Internet. For $2,000 - $3,000 a library can obtain excellent-quality equipment and software 

that would allow an Internet connection. Some 

of this support should come from the federal and 

state governments (see above). For many libraries, however, equipment is on hand; they simply 

need to obtain a connection from a local service 

provider. 

., Obtain Local Community Support. For public librarians to move successfully to the networked 

environment, they must also educate their communities, users, and governing boards. Such a 

move requires first that the public librarians 

themselves be knowledgeable about the Internet 

and its applications. Next, however, they must 

constantly look for opportunities to increase their 

community's awareness of the Internet, educate 

it regarding the net's possible uses and applications, and demonstrate impacts of, uses for, and 

benefits from connectivity to the Internet. 

Public librarians should also explore opportunities to become directly involved in the development of community networks. As discussed earlier in this report, organizers of community networks and librarians have very similar objectives 

related to universal access to a range of electronic 

information. Librarians can take a leadership role 

in developing such networks and ensuring that 

community networks include the public library. 

., Offer Innovative Networked Information Services. 

Public librarians can provide a broad range of 

new, innovative, and exciting services in a networked setting. These networked services include international keypals between local and 

foreign children, community discussion lists, development of a user's own customized electronic 

library from sources around the world, collaborating with local schools and connecting them to 

parents and students, and electronic booktalks, 
48 

to name but a few. Public librarians are beginning to think about the possibilities of electronic 

services to their communities in this networked 

environment. Clearly, more attention needs to 

be given to developing networked information 

services. More experimentation and innovative 

ideas are needed in this area. 

• Collaborate with Other Local Organizations. Many 

local communities have a host of organizations 

that are potential partners for the public library 

in providing Internet services to the community: 

schools, community colleges, other higher education institutions, agriculture extension agencies, 

medical facilities, private firms, government 

agencies, social groups, and others. The public 

library can serve as an important link among 

these various groups by taking the lead to organize access to the Internet and by developing 

strategies for how such access can benefit other 

community organizations. 

Underlying all of these recommendations is the 

need for the library community to innovate, educate 

itself, and experiment with new uses and applications 

of the Internet. 

For the National Commission on Libraries 

and Information Science 

This study can be seen as a beginning point for 

NCLIS to expand the debate about the role of libraries 

in general and public libraries in particular in the developing NIL More specifically, NCLIS could: 

• Promote Additional Research. The survey findings 

reported here represent the first national effort 

to obtain descriptive data about public libraries 

and the Internet. As such, the survey provides 

benchmark data to which future survey results 

can be compared. Longitudinal data will be 

needed to determine the degree to which public 

libraries have changed relative to the topics covered in the survey. Thus this or a very similar 

survey should be repeated regularly to aid 

policymakers in the decision-making process. 

In addition, national surveys on academic, school, 

or special libraries and the Internet should be 

conducted. National descriptive data in each of 

these areas will also be needed if policymakers 

are to gauge libraries' developments with the 

Internet and determine the degree to which exPublic Libraries and the Internet 

isting policies are appropriate or need to be redesigned. 

A more specific topic requiring research attention is the impacts and benefits that result from 

Internet connectivity. To some extent, 

policymakers have taken at face value statements 

about how connectivity increases productivity, 

improves the quality of life, or otherwise provides 

important benefits to society. Research is needed 

to identify and measure specific impacts that result from access to and use of networked information. NCLIS can promote research that assesses the impacts of the Internet on libraries and 

how those impacts affect information services to 

the public. 

• Sponsor Follow-up Conferences. One theme of this 

report is the need for additional public debate 

on its findings, issues, and recommendations. 

Such a debate could be promoted via conferences, 

hearings, or other mechanisms. NCLIS has statutory responsibility, should it decide to do so, to 

orchestrate such conferences. Minimally, NCLIS 

could sponsor meetings to (1) review the findings, issues, and recommendations offered in the 

report, and (2) develop policy recommendations 

for resolving the issues outlined in the report. 

Given the Information Infrastructure Task Force's 

recommendation for the development of a national 

plan for libraries as they move to the electronic environment, NCLIS could also sponsor conferences or 

meetings to help achieve the realization of such a plan. 

There is an important window of opportunity to provide such input to the administration and develop recommendations for such a plan. NCLIS should take 

the lead in this area. 

Rethinking Federal Support for Libraries 

The Clinton administration has provided strong 

support for expanding the role of libraries in the networked environment. The Information Infrastructure 

Task Force (IITF) Committee on Applications and Technology stated in a January 25, 1994, policy document 

that libraries are one of seven major application areas 

for initial study (1994b, p. 3). The report went on to 

say: 

Providing equitable access is important for 

many of the applications areas considered. This 

issue includes access to other individuals and 
Final Report 

citizen groups via the NII as well as access to 

information.... For education and for libraries, 

all teachers and students in K-12 schools and all 

public libraries - whether in urban, suburban, 

or rural areas; whether in rich or in poor neighborhoods - need access to the educational and 

library services carried on the NIL All commercial establishments and all workers must have 

equal access to the opportunities for electronic 

commerce and telecommuting provided by the 

NIL Finally, all citizens must have equal access 

to government services provided over the NII. 

Policymakers, librarians, and others need to debate the 

federal role in how the electronic, networked public 

library evolves, and how the private sector and public 

libraries can work together to realize the vision of the 

Clinton administration. 

A central federal policy plank supporting library 

programs is the Library Services and Construction Act 

(LSCA). Over the years, this act has contributed greatly 

to the development of the existing national library infrastructure. But its provisions need to be updated 

and kept abreast with current library needs. Federal 

policymakers and the library community should work 

together to reshape federal programs in support of libraries. One strategy would be to change the Library 

Services and Construction Act to the Library Services 

and Communications Act. 

Such a change would recognize the importance of 

communications and libraries being connected to the 

evolving NIL In addition to some of the existing policy 

goals of LSCA, a revised LSCA might include policy 

goals that: 

0 Provide direct support to public libraries to obtain basic computing and telecommunications 

equipment. 

0 Provide support for public librarians and information professionals to obtain education and 

training related to the use of the Internet/NII and 

the development of networked-based programs 

and services. 

0 Help public libraries obtain electronic government information and provide the public with 

access to this information. 

49 

0 Support a national network literacy program in 

which public librarians assume the responsibility of preparing the public to be productive and 

empowered in the networked society. 

0 Establish public libraries as community-based 

network access centers that ensure and protect 

every person's access to networked information 

resources. 

While other key policy goals also can be suggested, 

these appear to be significant components of a new 

and revitalized Library Services and Communications Act. 

LSCA, however, is but one component of the national policy supporting the library infrastructure. A 

comprehensive review of other federal policy instruments affecting libraries should be conducted to identify ambiguities, gaps, problems, or conflicts. To develop a national plan for libraries, policymakers must 

first know what the existing policy context is for libraries. This is another area in which NCLIS can help 

to inform policymakers and offer recommendations 

for coordinating such policy instruments and working toward the development of a national plan. 

The nation cannot afford to leave some of the population behind as it realizes the NII vision; it cannot afford to have only those services and resources identified as "profitable" be provided via the NII; and it cannot afford to have the NII become a divisive process 

that further disenfranchises some segments of society 

and inhibits these segments from being productive in 

both their personal and professional lives. The public 

library community can provide an important public 

access door to the Internet and eventually into the NII. 

Federal policy initiatives, as well as more extensive 

public debate, must occur to clarify public purposes 

of the Internet and the NII. The success and importance of the NII will depend on the societal values and 

goals (such as those offered above) the Internet is intended to promote. These goals must be extended 

beyond economics, commercial applications, and technical development of the NIL Clearly, those goals related to universal access, network literacy, and training are key factors that reflect public-sector principles 

related to the evolving networked environment. A 

new national plan for libraries and an updated and 

coordinated policy system as the basis for national library development are essential. 
50 

The networked public library is a future toward 

which policymakers and public librarians must move. 

This future is one that offers the public library great 

opportunities to be an electronic community spokesperson and central hub that links various community 

activities both with each other and with the outside 

world. Indeed, linkages are what the network does 

best. Although public librarians and policymakers are 

only now beginning to explore how best to exploit the 

potential of electronic networking, the time is now to 

re-think the existing federal policy framework that 

supports libraries and move into this networked environment successfully! 

NOTES 

1. The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) 

provided research assistance in selecting the sample 

and questionnaire construction. NCES, however, 

did not participate in the analysis of the data or the 

development of any material in this report. 

2. The Federal State Cooperative System (FSCS) defines a public library as (National Center for Education Statistics, 1993, p. 5): 

An entity that provides all of the following: a) 

an organized collection of printed or other library materials, or a combination thereof; b) a 

staff to provide and interpret such materials as 

required to meet the informational, cultural, recreational, and educational needs of a clientele; 

c) an established schedule in which services of 

the staff are available to clientele; and d) the facilities necessary to support such a collection, 

staff, and schedule. A public library is established under state enabling laws or regulations 

to serve the residents of a community, district, 

or region. 

Based on the FSCS data, there are 9,050 public libraries throughout the country. In addition to the 

number of public libraries, there are 15,482 stationary outlets, which are composed of central libraries and branch libraries. FSCS defines central libraries as (National Center for Education Statistics, 

1993, p. 118): 

the single unit library or the unit where the principle collections are kept and handled; also 

called the "main library." 

Public Libraries and the Internet 

Branch libraries are (National Center for Education 

Statistics, 1993, p. 118): 

auxiliary units which have all of the following: 

(1) separate quarters; (2) a permanent basic collection of books; (3) a permanent paid staff; and 

( 4) a regular schedule for opening to the public. 

There are, however, administered from a central unit. Regional or divisional centers are 

counted as branches. 

3. The legal service population area groupings are as 

follows: 

1 Million+ 

500,000 - 999,999 

250,000 - 499,999 

100,000 - 249,999 

50,000 - 99,999 

25,000 - 49,999 

10,000 - 24,999 

5,000 - 9,999 

Under 5,000 

4. The region groupings are as follows: 

Midwest: 

Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, 

Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, 

Ohio, South Dakota, Wisconsin 

Northeast: 

Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New 

Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, 

Rhode Island, Vermont 

South: 

Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, DC, Florida, 

Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, 

Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South 

Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia 

West: 

Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, 

Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, 

Utah, Washington, Wyoming 

5. For more detailed information on the sampling 

technique used in this study and the drawing of 

the sample from the NCES Public Library Universe 
Final Report 

File, contact Steven Kaufman at NCES or Douglas 

L. Zweizig at the University of Wisconsin. 

6. Although estimates of the standard error are possible with this sampling approach, they were not 

calculated for this quick response survey because 

their calculation is more complicated and time consuming than that needed to produce the national 

estimates and would require specialized software 

packages. Therefore, significance tests have not 

been performed. The quality of the estimates can 

be inferred from the sample quality achieved as 

shown in Figure 1 and from the close match between estimates of expenditures from this sample 

and population data reported by NCES (1993). 

REFERENCES 

Clinton, W. J. (1994, January 25). State of the union 

address. Available: Gopher: iitf.doc.gov; DIRECTORY: 

/Speeches, Documents and Papers; FILE: State of the 

Union Address 1/25/94. 

Commission on Physical, Mathematical, and Engineering Sciences, Federal Coordinating Council for Science, 

Engineering and Technology (1993). Grand challenges 

1993: High performance computing and communications. 

Washington, DC: GPO. 

Congress. House (1993, April 21). National Information Infrastructure Act of 1993. (H.R. 1757). Washington, DC: GPO. 

D'Elia, G. (1993). The role of the public library in society: 

The results of a national survey. Evanston, IL: Urban Libraries Council. 

Fisher, R. (1992). In: Congress. House. Committee 

on House Administration and Joint Committee on the 

Library. (September 21). Field hearing on libraries and 

library services. Washington, DC: GPO. 

Gore, A. (1993). Creating a government that works better 

and costs less: Report of the National Performance Review. 

Washington, DC: GPO. 

Hansen, J. (1992). In: Congress. House. Committee 

on House Administration and Joint Committee on the 

Library. (September 21). Field hearing on libraries and 

library services. Washington, DC: GPO. 

51 

Information Infrastructure Task Force. (1993). The National information infrastructure: Agenda for action. Available: Gopher: iitf.doc.gov; DIRECTORY: /IITF Committee Reports and Minutes; FILE: NII: Agenda for 

Action. 

Information Infrastructure Task Force, Committee on 

Applications and Technology. (1994a). What it takes to 

make it happen: Key issues for applications of the national 

information infrastructure. Available: Gopher: 

iitf.doc.gov; DIRECTORY: /Speeches, Documents and 

Papers; FILE: What It Takes to Make it Happen: Key 

Issues for Applications of the NIL 

Information Infrastructure Task Force, Committee on 

Applications and Technology. (1994b). Putting the information infrastructure to work (NIST Special Publication 857). Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Commerce, National Institute of Standards and Technology. 

Irving, L. (1994, January 27). Testimony of Larry Irving, Assistant Secretary for Communications and Information, U.S. Department of Commerce, on Telecommunications Reform Legislation before the Subcommittee on Telecommunications and Finance, Committee on Energy and Commerce, U.S. House of Representatives. Available: Gopher: iitf.doc.gov; DIRECTORY: /Speeches, Documents and Papers; FILE: Irving Testimony to House Energy 1/27 /94. 

Kennedy, E. M. CTanuary 28, 1994). PUBLIB Interview: 

Senator Kennedy. Liverpool, NY: NYSERNet, Inc. 

Posted on PUBLIB and PUBLIB-Net, January 29, 1994. 

Kranich, N. C. (1993). The selling of cyberspace: Can 

libraries protect public access? Library Journal, pp. 34-

37. 

Lynch, C.A., and Preston, C.M. (1990). Internet access 

to information resources. In Martha E. Williams (Ed.), 

Annual review of information science and technology. Vol. 

25 (pp. 263-312). NY: Elsevier Science Publishers. 

Martin, L.A. (1983). The public library: Middle-age 

crisis or old age? Library Journal, 108, 17-22. 

McClure, C. R. (1993a). Network literacy in an electronic society: An educational disconnect? The knowledge economy: The nature of information in the 21st century, annual review of the Institute for Information Studies 

(pp. 137-178). Queenstown, MD: The Aspen Institute. 
52 

McClure, C. R. (1993b ). Updating planning and role 

setting for public libraries: A manual of options and 

procedures. Public Libraries, 32(4), 198-199. 

McClure, C.R., Babcock, W. C., Nelson, K. A., Polly, J. 

A., and Kankus, S. R. (1994a). Connecting rural public 

libraries to the Internet: Project GAIN - Global Access 

Information Network, 1-71. Liverpool, NY: NYSERNet, 

Inc. 

McClure, C. R., Bishop A. P., Doty, P., Rosenbaum, H. 

(1991). The National Research and Education Network 

(NREN): Research and policy perspectives. Noorwood, 

NJ: Ablex Publishing Corporation. 

McClure, C. R., Moen, W. E., and Ryan, J. (1994b ). Libraries and the Internet/NREN: Issues, perspectives, and 

opportunities. Westport, CT: Meckler Publishing. 

McClure, C. R., Ryan, J., and Moen, W. E. (1993). The 

role of public libraries in the use of Intemet/NREN 

information services. Library and Information Science 

Research, 15, 7-34. 

McClure, C.R., Owen, A., Zweizig, D. L., Lynch, M. J., 

and Van House, N. A. (1987). Planning and role setting 

for public libraries: A manual of operations and procedures. 

Chicago: American Library Association. 

Moltz, K., Faculty Advisor. (1994). Civic networks in 

the United States. New York: Columbia University, 

Graduate Program in Public Policy and Administration (mimeograph). 

National Commission on Libraries and Information 

Science. (1992). Open forum on recommendations of the 

White House conference on library and information services. 

Washington, DC: GPO. 

Public Libraries and the Internet 

National Center for Education Statistics. (1993). Public libraries in the United States: 1991 [NCES 92-297]. 

Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education, Office of Educational Research and Improvement. 

<NIC.MERIT.EDU>. (1994, February 3). History of 

hosts. Available: FTP: <nic.merit.edu>; DIRECTORY: 

/nsfnet/statistics; FILE: history.hosts. 

Office of Technology Assessment. (1993). Making government work: Electronic delivery of federal services. Washington, DC: GPO. 

Office of the Vice President. (1994, January 11). Vice 

President proposes national telecommunications reform. Available: Gopher: iitf.doc.gov; DIRECTORY: 

/Press Releases; FILE: VP Proposes National Telecommunications Reform. 

Office of the White House. (1994, January 25). Administration white paper on communications act reforms. Available: Gopher: iitf.doc.gov; DIRECTORY: 

/Speeches, Documents and Papers; FILE: Administration White Paper on Communications Act Reforms 1 / 

27/94. 

Rose, C. (1992). In: Congress. House. Committee on 

House Administration and Joint Committee on the 

Library. (September 21). Field hearing on libraries and 

library services. Washington, DC: GPO. 

Shearer, K. (1993). Confusing what is most wanted with 

what is most used: A crisis in public library priorities 

today. Public Libraries, 32( 4), 193-197. 

Wetherbee, L.V. and Snow, L. E. (1993). Issues and strategies in the development of Internet access for community 

college, public and special libraries: A Report to C.L.A.S.S. 

Dallas, TX: Library Management Consultant. 
Final Report 53 

Appendix A 

Survey Instrument 
54 Public Libraries and the Internet 

Survey of Public Library Internet Use 

Instructions: We are interested in finding out about your library's level of involvement with or use of the Internet. 

Please take the time to answer the questions below by marking the appropriate selection or filling in answers as 

necessary. Your responses will assist us to gain an understanding of public library uses of the Internet. Thank you 

for your participation! PLEASE RETURN YOUR QUESTIONNAIRE BY JANUARY 31, 1994. 

If your library is not now using Internet, please fill out questions 1 to 9 and then 21 to 23 and return. 

PART A: 

To be filled out by the library director 

1. Name of person responding: ________________ Title: _______ _ 

2. Total number of librarians (include ALA/MLS and others with the title) in FIE: ___ _ 

3. Please tell us your operating expenditures for the latest completed fiscal year. $ _____ _ 

4. What were your materials expenditures for the latest reported fiscal year? $ _____ _ 

5. Please assess the degree to which the following possible factors affect your library's 

current level of involvement in the Internet: PLEASE CIRCLE ONE NUMBER FOR EACH QUESTION. 

Very Very Don't 

6. 

Important Unimportant Know 

a) Costs of getting connected to the Internet 1 2 3 

b) Costs of hardware 1 2 3 

c) Costs of software 1 2 3 

d) Availability of in-house computer technical expertise 1 2 3 

e) Staff awareness of the Internet 1 2 3 

f) Availability of staff time to develop expertise on 1 2 3 

the Internet 

g) Availability of training on the Internet and its uses 1 2 3 

h) Staff skills to "navigaten the Internet 1 2 3 

i) Level of community interest 1 2 3 

D Degree of interest by governing body 1 2 3 

k) Other (Please specify): 

1 2 3 

Interest in the Internet at this library is motivated primarily by: 

CHECK [X] ONE ONLY 

0 Library strategic planning 0 Community strategic planning 

0 State-wide initiatives 0 Internal staff expertise 

0 Interest of the library administration 0 Other (please specify): 

4 5 

4 5 

4 5 

4 5 

4 5 

4 5 

4 5 

4 5 

4 5 

4 5 

4 5 

0 

0 

0 

u 

0 

0 

0 

u 

0 

0 

0 

NCUS Survey on Public Library Use of the Internet, page 1 
Final Report 55 

7. To what extent do you agree/ disagree with the following statements: 

PLEASE CIRCLE ONE NUMBER FOR EACH QUESTION. 

Strongly Strongly Don't 

Agree Disagree Know 

a) Public libraries should provide Internet-based 1 2 3 4 5 0 

services to library patrons 

b) Future monetary support for public libraries is 

integrally linked to the development of the Internet. 

1 2 3 4 5 0 

c) Public libraries should serve as a safety net 1 2 3 4 5 0 

(i.e., societal back-up for those without 

individual access) for public access to the Internet. 

d) Internet services provided through public 

libraries should be without charge to the patron. 

1 2 3 4 5 0 

8. What role do you think the federal government should have in supporting Internet access through public 

libraries? Please rank the following five items in terms of the importance of the federal role. 

RANK [1 = most important; 5 = least important] 

i) support for purchase of equipment 

ii) training assistance 

iii) support research and development efforts 

iv) connecting libraries to the Internet 

v) other (please specify): 

0 The federal government should have no role in supporting Internet access through 

public libraries. 

9. Is your library connected to the Internet in any way? 

0 YES ~ (Please complete questions 10 through 25.) 

0 NO ~ (Please skip to Question 21.) 

10. Please estimate the total costs to the library for providing Internet-related services for staff and 

patrons for the last completed fiscal year (to include telecommunication costs, subscription fees, 

software, training, staff time, etc.): 

Total Cost:$ _____ _ 0 Don't know costs 

11. Do you expect this amount of the library's budget currently committed to Internet-based services and 

resources for the next fiscal year to: . 

0 Decline O Remain the same O Increase 1-5% 0 Increase more than5% 

12. Please estimate the percentage of support for Internet-related services that come from the following 

sources: 

SOURCE 

Local 

State 

Federal 

Grant/ foundation 

Other (please specify) 

TOTAL 

PERCENTAGE OF SUPPORT FOR INTERNET 

______ % 

______ % 

______ % 

______ % 

______ % 

100% 

NCUS Survey on Public Library Use of the Internet, page 2 
56 Public Libraries and the Internet 

! ii 'ii !iUR rr11 i :rz tn ;u m HiiHl!ii Ji f 'i!!R412ll l r·· la IIWQtfl:tm1 ii Fill! 

PARTB: 

To be filled out by library director or library employee with most knowledge of the library's use of the Internet 

13. Name of person responding: _________ Title: _______ _ 

14. What type of connection to the Internet does your library have? CHECK ALL THAT APPLY 

0 Internet email-only gateway of some kind, 0 Direct, dedicated leased line 

(e.g., America Online, Compuserve, Fidonet, etc.) connection (any speed) 

0 VT 100 terminal access to a host on the Internet O Other (Please specify): 

(e.g., through library's OPAC, Delphi, CLASS, etc.) 

0 Dial-up SLIP, or PPP TCP /IP on a desktop machine O Don't know type of connection 

15. What type of network connection provider does your library use? CHECK AU THAT APPLY 

0 Local government organization O Commercial provider 

0 Local educational organization D Free-net 

D State library network O Other (please specify): 

0 OCLC regional library network 

(e.g., AMIGOS, NELINET, etc.) 0 Don't know 

16. How many individual e-mail Internet addresses does your library have? _____ _ 

17. Please estimate the number of uses in your library of the following Internet activities by staff 

in a typical week: PLEASE CHECK ONE FOR EACH QUESTION. 

Never Less than 5=15 More than 

5ti~/w!s ~ )5 timesL wk 

a) Electronic Mail 0 0 0 0 

b) Listservs/Discussion Groups 0 0 0 0 

c) File Transfer (FTP) 0 0 0 0 

d) Telnet/Remote Login 0 0 0 0 

e) Bibliographic Utilities 0 0 0 0 

f) Resource Location Services (Gopher, WAIS, Veronica, 

MOSAIC, Archie) 

0 0 0 0 

g) Other (Please specify): 0 0 0 0 

18. Please estimate the number of occasions your library staff provides the following services for patrons 

through the Internet connection in a typical week: PLEASE CHECK ONE FOR EACH QUESTION. 

Never Less tb;m 5=li More tban 

:lti~/wk ~ 15times/wk 

a) Using Internet to obtain answers (e.g., using Lists to 0 0 0 0 

post reference questions for patrons) 

b) Accessing electronic indexes for patrons D 0 0 0 

(e.g., Uncover, ASAP, IAC Magazine Index) 

c) Providing access to federal government documents 0 0 0 0 

(e.g., Ointon HealthPlan, NAFTA, legislation) 

d) Downloading of software for patrons 0 0 0 0 

e) Providing access to electronic journals 0 0 0 0 

(e.g., ALA Washington Office Online) 

f) Training programs 0 0 0 0 

g) Interlibrary loan 0 0 0 0 

h) Other (Please specify): 0 0 0 0 

NCUS Survey on Public Library Use of the Internet, page 3 
Final Report 

19. Does your library provide public access computers for patron access to the Internet? 

0 NO O YES-),..If YES, how many computers? 0 none O Li O 6 - 10 0 11 or more 

20. Does your library provide hard-<:opy print of materials obtained through the Internet? 

0 NO O YES, for free O YES, for a fee 

21. Does your library provide information services to a local community network or free-net? 

NO YES 

22. How many telephone lines (include both voice and data) come into your library? 

Number of Lines: -+- 0 none O Li O ~ 0 11 or more 

23. Please tell us about your library's computers-the number owned and the number with external 

communicatiou capability: PLEASE CHECK [X] ONE BOX IN EACH SECTION. 

:!Slumber with E~ernal 

Com12uter Equi12ment Number Owned Communication Ca12amlit:y: 

N.2ru,_ l..:.1Q 11..=..22. 26-50 lli N.2ru,_ l..:.1Q 1L2i. ~ lli 

Apple/Macintosh 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 

IBM PC or Oones 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 

UNlX Workstation 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 

Other (Please specify): 

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 

24. Please tell us your favorite Internet success story-the time that Internet provided the key piece of 

information or other assistance that solved a problem in your library: 

25. Please tell us your favorite Internet frustration story-the time that Internet failed to meet your need; 

wasted time; drove you to distraction: 

l.l i!H, 

Please return the questionnaire by January 31, 1994 to: 

Douglas Zweizig 

Public Library Use of the Internet Survey 

School of Library and Information Studies 

University of Wisconsm-Madison 

600 N. Park Street 

Phone: (608) 263-2941 

Fax: (608) 263-4849 

e-mail: ZWEIZIG@MACC.WISC.EDU 

57 

Madison, WI 53706 THANK YOU FOR YOUR COOPERATION! 

NCLIS Survey on Public Library Use of the Internet, page 4 
58 Public Libraries and the Internet 

Appendix B 

Postcard Alert 
Final Report 

SURVEY OF PUBLIC LIBRARY INTERNET USE 

UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON 

SCHOOL OF LIBRARY & INFORMATION STUDIES 

Helen C. White Hall 

600 North Park Street 

Madison, Wisconsin 53706 

First Class Mail 

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Dear Library Director: December 1993 

The National Commission on Libraries and Information Science 

is conducting a national fast-response survey of the 

involvement of public libraries in the Internet. 

The results from the study will be used this spring to advise the U.S. Congress 

and Administration on policies for the coming electronic 

environment for public library services. 

Your library has been selected to be in the sample drawn for the study by 

the National Center for Education Statistics. The survey will be mailed in 

early January and will ask for a response by the end of the month. 

It is important that your library respond, whether or not it is presently 

using the Internet. If you have questions or have not received your 

survey by January 15, please contact: 

Douglas Zweizig 

SURVEY OF PUBLIC LIBRARY INTERNET USE 

School of Library and Information Studies 

University of Wisconsin-Madison 

600 N. Park Street 

Madison, Wisconsin 53706 

Phone: (608) 263-2941 

Fax: (608) 263-4849 

e-mail: 

zweizig@rnacc.wisc.edu 

Thank you for your help. 

Postcard sent in advance of the Survey of Public Library Internet Use 

59 
60 Public Libraries and the Internet 

Appendix C 

Survey Cover Letter 
Final Report 

L ·nitcd Stc11cs 

:'\'cltion,11 Co111111ission on 

Lil)r,iries clncl lnfonrnHion Science 

Dear Public Library Director: 

10 January 1994 

The U.S. National Commission on Libraries and Information Science (NCLIS), as a permanent, 

independent Federal agency, is charged by law (P.L. 91-345) to advise the President and Congress on 

the implementation of library and information services policies for the Nation. In fulfillment of this 

charge, the Commission is conducting a study to assess public library use of the Internet and to explore 

the impact of electronic networking on public libraries and the communities they serve. Dr. Charles R. 

McClure, professor at the School of Information Studies at Syracuse University, and Dr. Douglas L. 

Zweizig, professor at the School of Library and Information Studies at the University of Wisconsin -

Madison are co-principal investigators for this study. 

Your institution has been selected from a National Center for Education Statistics public library 

universe file to participate in this study. A response from your library is important to the validity of this 

study whether you are currently using the Internet or not. Your library's response to the questionnaire 

accompanying this letter will be treated in confidence; no individual libraries will be identified in the 

NCLIS report resulting from this study. 

The Internet currently is a network of computer networks that enables individuals and 

institutions to communicate electronically and to access a host of i"iiformation resources. The U.S. 

Congress and Administration officials are currently considering policy proposals and initiatives that 

relate directly to the development of digital library resources and that will determine the role of libraries 

in a networked environment. These initiatives require current National data about public libraries and 

the Internet to inform decision makers about the appropriate government role relating to public libraries 

in the emerging National Information Infrastructure. Your library's participation in this study will assist 

the National Commission in advising policy makers about the roles of public libraries in the National 

network infrastructure. 

A quick response survey questionnaire is attached to this letter. The survey 

asks about your library's plans for and/or present use of the Internet. If you have a 

member of your staff who is responsible for your library's Internet connection, please forward this survey 

to that person for completion, after you have responded to the Library Director questions. 

If you have questions regarding this sur,ey please contact Dr. Douglas L. Zweizig, School of 

Library and Information Studies, University of Wisconsin - Madison, Helen C.White Hall, 600 North 

Park Street, Madison, Wisconsin 53706. Phone (608) 263-2941 - voice. Fax (608) 263-4849. Or 

Internet address: zweizig@macc.wisc.edu 

Thank you for taking the time to return the completed survey questionnaire by 31 

January 1994 by using the enclosed postage paid envelope. In appreciation for your cooperation, we 

will be pleased to provide you with a copy of the final project report. 

Enclosure: Survey of Public Library Internet Use 

Sincerely, 

c-J e+t.tr'\-e_ -Hurl~ S ~ r'll~ 

Jeanne Hurley Simon 

NCLIS Chairperson 

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61 
62 

About the Authors 

Public Libraries and the Internet 

Charles R. McClure <cmcclure@suvm.syr.edu> is Distinguished Professor at the School of Information Studies, Syracuse University, where he teaches courses in U.S. government 

information management and policies, information resources 

management, library /information center management, and 

planning and evaluation of information services. He completed 

his doctorate in library and information services at Rutgers 

University. He has authored some twenty-five monographs 

and over 150 articles, reports, and chapters on topics related to 

library and information center planning, evaluation, management, information resources management, networking, and 

government information. McClure's research activities have 

won a number of national awards from the American Library 

Association, the Association of Library and Information Science Education, and the American Society for Information Science. McClure is the associate editor Government Information 

Quarterly and is also the editor of the journal Internet Research: 

Electronic Networking Applications and Policy. His latest book is 

Libraries and the Internet/NREN: Perspectives, Issues, and Challenges. 

John Carlo Bertot <jcbertot@mailbox.syr.edu> is a doctoral student and research associate at the School of Information Studies, Syracuse University. In collaboration with Charles R. 

McClure and Patricia T. Fletcher, he has published articles and 

reports on federal and county government information policy 

and the use of information technology to deliver government 

information and services. His research interests also include 

strategic management in the public sector and information resources management. He teaches courses on information organization and information resources management. Prior to 

beginning doctoral studies, Bertot spent four years managing 

the Office Automation Training and Support Division for the 

New York State Assembly, Office Automation and Data Processing Department. He received his MA in Communication 

from the University at Albany, State University of New York. 

Douglas L. Zweizig <zweizig@macc.wisc.edu> is a professor 

at the School of Library and Information Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He is the project director for the 

Public Library Data Service, has conducted national studies of 

literacy activities in libraries and financial practices in public 

libraries, and has published in the literature of planning and 

evaluation for libraries. He has been actively involved in the 

American Library Association and is a frequent speaker at many 

professional meetings and conferences. Since 1993 he has been 

co-principal investigator for the U.S. Department of Education 

funded project, "Evaluating Library Programs and Services" 

and lead author of Evaluating Library Programs & Services: TELL 

IT! Madison: SLIS University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1993. 

He is co-author, with McClure, of the publications Planning and 

Role Setting for Public Libraries and Output Measures for Public 

Libraries, 2nd ed. (American Library Association).