From Government Technology:

Study Finds Americans Rely on Library Computers for Internet Access

Mar 29, 2010
By Karen Wilkinson, Staff Writer
 

In the first report of its kind, researchers have quantified the obvious—more and more Americans are using the Internet at public libraries to keep up with friends and family, do research and find jobs.
 
The findings of the report, Opportunity for All: How the American Public Benefits from Internet Access at U.S. Libraries, also detail the effects the growing demand has on public libraries—one-third of libraries report inadequate technology and say they lack even minimally adequate Internet connections to meet demand.
 
* * *
 
Highlights of the report include:

• 40 percent of library users (about 30 million people) received help with career needs. Among these users, 75 percent reported they searched for a job online, and half of these users filled out an online application or submitted a resume via the Internet.
• 37 percent focused on health issues. The vast majority of these users (82 percent) logged on to learn about a disease, illness or medical condition. One-third of these users sought out doctors or health-care providers and of these, about half followed up by making appointments for care.
• 42 percent received help with educational needs. Among these users, 37 percent (an estimated 12 million students) used their local library computer to do homework for a class.
• Library computers linked patrons to their government, communities and civic organizations. Sixty percent of users (43.3 million people) used a library's computer resources to connect with others.

Read the complete article here and download the report here.
 

 
The study and subsequent media coverage are welcome but the news is not surprising to Garland librarians, administrators, or patrons. A 2008 regional story that very much focused on Garland detailed locally much the same information that is in the above study. Once again we are a leading city.
 
Libraries are a vital service to an informed and free society and access to the Internet is an important and vital link to the world at large. Yet libraries are under attack, too. Council members receive lots of e-mail and one I received today questioned why a city would spend tax revenues for books when not everyone uses them. It's a freedom thing.
 
Not many years after the founding of the country, Congress decided it needed a library. Today the Library of Congress is the library of all libraries, with five copies of every book published. (I think that's what I read when I was there earlier this month.) To stock that first Library of Congress, Thomas Jefferson sold his personal collection to the library. Below is my picture of that collection taken last year (and original post here).
 

From About the Library, Library of Congress website: "The Library was founded in 1800, making it the oldest federal cultural institution in the nation. On August 24, 1814, British troops burned the Capitol building (where the Library was housed) and destroyed the Library's core collection of 3,000 volumes. On January 30, 1815, Congress approved the purchase of Thomas Jefferson’s personal library of 6,487 books for $23,950."