Almost 100 percent of U.S. libraries now offer Wi-Fi access to patrons; a little more than half circulate hardware such as internet hotspots, laptops, tablets, and e-readers; and more than 82 percent offer digital literacy courses or point-of-use computer skills training, according to the Public Library Association’s (PLA) recently published “2020 Public Library Technology Survey.” Fielded in collaboration with the American Institutes for Research, the survey features responses from 1,550 public libraries—including 123 urban libraries, 425 suburban libraries, and 1,002 libraries in rural areas and towns with fewer than 50,000 residents. It presents a snapshot of the vital technology services that libraries provide their communities, areas of disparity between urban and rural libraries, and the challenges that institutions of all sizes face in expanding or enhancing technology services.

“Library workers make technology more accessible for every person of every age in our communities, including students, jobseekers, and the millions of Americans who still lack broadband access and skills,” PLA President Melanie Huggins said in an announcement. “The new survey report details how our nation’s public libraries serve as critical infrastructure for bridging digital divides, empowering lifelong learning, and advancing economic recovery.”

Notably, public Wi-Fi access has become “ubiquitous across all library types.” 100Mbps was the most commonly reported download speed for town/rural libraries and single branch libraries regardless of location, while 44.3 percent of multiple branch city and 26.7 percent of multiple branch suburban systems reported 1,000 Mbps/gigabit connections. Overall, just 17.1 percent of single branch libraries and 5.9 percent of multiple branch libraries reported having broadband download speeds of 25 Mbps or slower. Overall, 84 percent of respondents said that the library’s broadband connection was sufficient for its public computers, and 79.2 percent said that the broadband was sufficient for patrons’ wireless needs.

However, many libraries that would like to improve their broadband connectivity face challenges. “About three out of 10 libraries reported that unaffordable costs, lack of faster available service, contract terms, and lack of control [due to local government controlling the contracts, for example] were factors affecting the ability to increase speeds,” according to the report. Still, about 43.7 percent of respondents reported that their library had improved its internet connection speed during the past two years.

Ebooks and e-audiobooks are becoming ubiquitous as well, with 100 percent of city library respondents reporting that they offer them, along with 98.1 percent of suburban libraries and 90.6 percent of town/rural libraries. Other technology-enabled resources were less common for smaller systems. Streaming services such as Hoopla, Kanopy, and Freegal were offered by 90.4 percent of city libraries and 76.9 percent of suburban libraries, but only 35.6 percent of town/rural libraries. Similarly, subscriptions to online job resources such as Learning Express were offered at 90.4 percent of city libraries, 79.4 percent of suburban libraries, and 55.6 percent of town/rural libraries. Online homework assistance through subscriptions to services such as Brainfuse and tutor.com were available at 64.6 percent of city libraries, 51 percent of suburban libraries, and 29.6 percent of town/rural libraries.

FUNDING AND STAFFING

Urban libraries were also more likely than suburban and rural libraries to tap revenue sources outside of their operating budgets for technology expenditures. For example, 83.7 percent of respondents from city libraries had obtained grants for technology services or equipment, compared to 59.3 percent of suburban respondents and 55.4 percent of town/rural respondents. Similarly, 44.9 percent of city libraries had obtained Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) funds, compared with 28 percent of suburban libraries, and 25.4 percent of town/rural libraries. Some 62.6 percent of city libraries had technology funding through the federal E-Rate program, compared with 37.8 percent of suburban libraries, and 37.7 percent of town/rural libraries.

These disparities could be due to larger libraries having expertise in-house to apply for funding. The survey summary report notes that more than two-thirds of city libraries reported applying for E-Rate funding individually in FY 2019, while two-thirds of suburban libraries applied as part of a consortium. The most frequent reason that suburban and town/rural libraries cited for not applying for E-Rate was that the discount was not worth the time necessary.

City systems were also much more likely than suburban and town/rural libraries to have their own IT support staff. More than 65 percent of respondents from city libraries reported that their library employs full-time IT staff, compared with 32.5 percent of suburban and 11 percent of town/rural libraries. And 32.1 percent of city respondents said that their library received IT support through a consortium, state library system, or other administrative entity, compared with 55.8 percent of suburban respondents, and 43.2 percent of town/rural respondents. More than 20 percent of town/rural library respondents said that their library depends at least in part on volunteer IT staff, compared with 7.1 percent of city libraries and 6.5 percent of suburban libraries.

Similarly, 60.5 percent of city library respondents said that their library had dedicated staff focused on digital literacy training for patrons, compared with 40.6 percent of respondents from suburban libraries and 20.4 percent from town/rural libraries. And 74.2 of city respondents reported having dedicated staff for their library’s website development and management, compared with 68.5 percent of suburban libraries and 41.8 percent of town/rural libraries. Social media account management appears to have become more of a priority, with 81.4 percent of city libraries having dedicated staff for this role, along with 78.2 percent of suburban libraries and 53 percent of town/rural libraries.

“The results…provide essential information about libraries’ digital resources and capacity, as well as trends to watch and persistent issues to address,” the report states. “Key among these issues is digital equity: for everyone to participate fully in a shared digital future, fast, affordable broadband infrastructure and technology-related training and support are needed for libraries and the communities we serve.”

The full 45 page survey summary is available here.