Last fall the Public Library Association (PLA) administered a survey to public library staff asking for more information about technology in their libraries. This extensive survey about technology in public libraries resulted in the 2023 Public Library Technology Survey Summary Report which was published this past July. If you’re thinking, “Whoa, technology in public libraries is a huge topic,” you’re correct, and this survey covered everything from on-site technology, circulated technology, and additional technology resources to technology training for staff, technology infrastructure, digital equity planning and more! 1,511 libraries responded to the survey, a response rate of 16.4%. Larger libraries located in cities made up a disproportionately large percentage of the survey respondents, but the survey results were weighted so the data collected could more accurately reflect library needs across the nation. It’s definitely worth checking out the full report here, but if you’re short on time, you can find a snapshot of several key findings below.
Successes
A similar technology survey was administered by PLA in 2020, so this latest report often shared how the most recent data collected differed or matched data from three years earlier. Of course, these years (2020 and 2023) can’t be directly compared without taking COVID-19 and the effects it had on services and operations into consideration. COVID-19 significantly altered libraries’ approaches to technology and digital services, and it’s safe to say that many of the effects aren’t disappearing anytime soon. Although there were a few online services, such as virtual programs offered, that understandably decreased since 2020, access to technology resources and services increased in practically every category surveyed.
Notable positive trends from 2020 to 2023 include an increase in libraries circulating Wi-Fi hotspots and an increase in many types of onsite technology available. Despite challenges to circulating hotspots (including damaged and disappearing inventory as well as data limits), hot spot circulation increased by about 14 percentage points. In 2020, around a third (32.6%) of libraries circulated hotspots, but in 2023, nearly half of libraries (47%) offered hotspots for checkout. Laptop circulation also increased since 2020, but an even higher percentage (63%) of libraries offer laptops for onsite use. This is an increase of over 18% since 2020. Libraries offering on-site availability of early learning devices, recreational video gaming consoles, and “smart” objects for STEAM-focused education also increased by more than 10%.
While we are seeing a rise in the physical technology available, many of the changing demands libraries face mean shifting from physical materials to digital offerings. The vast majority of public libraries (95%) now circulate e-books and/or e-audiobooks, and more than half (58%) take it a step further by providing streaming services and downloadable content. With the advancement of both physical and electronic technology services comes a need to help people use these resources. Luckily, libraries are adapting to meet this demand. Informal and/or formal digital literacy training can be found at 95% of public libraries! According to Statista, internet access via mobile phones is now higher than access via laptops or desktop computers. Libraries have also adjusted to this shift, with 83% of library websites set up for use on mobile devices. This percentage varied little by locale, meaning small and rural libraries are keeping up with this development alongside larger libraries.
Challenges
Rural libraries undoubtedly see greater challenges to technology implementation in general, often due to the cost of technology services and the infrastructure needed to support this new technology. This infrastructure includes wireless internet access which, while provided by over 99% of town/rural libraries, was three times slower on average at these libraries when compared to city libraries. In fact, over a third (35.4%) of town/rural libraries did not report internet connections that meet the definition of broadband as currently defined by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). More than a third of town/rural libraries (36%) reported not having access to faster speeds in their area, and a similar percentage (34.7%) cannot afford faster speeds.
When compared to urban and suburban libraries, discrepancies are also particularly apparent in regard to the on-site equipment that rural libraries provide, and their ability to offer streaming or downloadable media and language learning resources. City libraries are over twice as likely to offer maker production equipment and over three times as likely to offer media production equipment (74.8% and 58.9% respectively) than town/rural libraries (33.5% and 18% respectively). Similarly, the percentage of libraries offering streaming or downloadable media and language learning resources dropped by over 45 percentage points when comparing city libraries (92.9% and 85.9% respectively) and town/rural libraries (46.7% and 40.2% respectively).
Of course, technology challenges are far from exclusive to rural libraries. It is a challenge for libraries of all sizes to keep up with the latest emerging technologies of our digital age. An open-ended question in this PLA survey asked survey respondents to identify the greatest challenges their libraries face in providing digital literacy assistance or training. The three most common challenges to arise were staff capacity, insufficient funding or resources, and difficulties reaching underserved populations. Underserved populations are often the people for whom library technology services may be the most transformative, but helping them understand and access what the library has to offer can be challenging due to barriers such as language, time, and transportation. Because of these barriers, limited staff capacity could disproportionately impact underserved communities because they often take more staff time and resources to reach.
The fourth most common response to the question, “What are the greatest challenges your library faces in providing digital literacy assistance or training?” was staff training with over a quarter of libraries (27%) citing this challenge. Having knowledgeable, technology savvy staff is critical to both implementing technology services and helping patrons access them, and staff training is a topic the full report covers in more detail. Information technology (IT) staff play a crucial role behind the scenes, but less than a fourth of libraries (20.7%) reported having full-time IT staff and 3.3% percent of libraries reported that they do not have any IT support. For town/rural libraries the percentage of libraries with no IT support is slightly higher at 5.8%.
Lack of funds or resources was cited by 39% of libraries as a challenge to providing digital literacy assistance or training, but cost constraints were also a major limiting factor to offering digital content. 85.7% of libraries selected subscription costs and payment terms when asked about the factors influencing digital content subscriptions. Collections of digital content, such as ebooks, are more costly than physical collections, and navigating this world of digital access is complex. Funding sources for technology in libraries are also discussed in more detail within the 2023 Public Library Technology Survey Summary Report, but it’s important to note that the three most commonly cited funding sources were grants, city/county government funds, and federal E-rate funding. However, 47.7% of libraries did not apply for E-rate funding, and of these libraries, 40% reported that they did not apply due to lack of staff capacity or that the assistance was too small for the effort it would take to apply.
Emerging Trends
This technology survey also asked libraries, “For what other new or emerging technologies is your library developing or considering developing digital literacy assistance or training in the coming year?” The most common response to this open-ended question was artificial intelligence (AI) with over 60% of libraries that answered this question including AI in their response. This survey also contained three new options for circulated devices based on commonly written-in answers in 2020: early learning devices, recreational technology (e.g., action camera kits, gaming consoles, and coding robots), and streaming devices.
Digital Equity Planning
This 2023 survey also contained a new question that asked libraries whether they participated in digital equity planning at the state level or whether they were involved in local, state, regional, or any other digital equity or inclusion coalitions. 14% of responding libraries reported involvement with a state digital equity plan and slightly more (19.7%) reported involvement in these types of coalitions. Libraries play an important role in increasing digital equity within communities, and the more of these partnerships that can be formed moving forward, the greater the impact we can have.
Some libraries are also trying to grow digital equity by adding digital navigators to their staff. According to the National Digital Inclusion Alliance (NDIA) digital navigators are “trusted guides who assist community members with ongoing, individualized support for accessing affordable and appropriate connectivity, devices, and digital skills.” Although almost 30% of libraries reported having digital navigator programs, the descriptions of these programs, which libraries provided in a follow up question, did not all indicate programs extensive enough to be considered digital navigator programs. Around 12% of libraries reported having designated digital navigators on staff, so this is likely a more accurate estimate. Having staff dedicated to digital navigation is not an easy step for many libraries with staff capacity being a top barrier cited within this survey; however, it is promising to see that many libraries are striving to meet community needs with the resources available to them.
Conclusion
PLA’s efforts have illuminated many successes, challenges, and trends for libraries and technology services. To find visualizations of the data shared above and many more interesting findings we highly encourage you to browse the full report. It’s an engaging overview of the many facets of technology in libraries and does a great job of expanding on the data collected in the public library survey. It’s inspiring to learn about what library staff are achieving across the nation to grow digital equity despite the obstacles they face.
This post is part of our series, “The LRS Number.” In this series, we highlight statistics that help tell the story of the 21st-century library.