Technology Libraries
Chloe Sarnoff
Survey data, captured for the first time, show more than half of public libraries report circulating technology (e.g., hotspots, laptops, and tablets) for patron use off-site. A similar percentage provided streaming public programs (e.g., storytimes and author events) in the previous 12 months, as well as diverse digital content, resources, and training. With public Wi-Fi now ubiquitous, many libraries also offered 24/7 internet access by leaving on or extending their Wi-Fi signal so that visitors can log on to the web in and outside of buildings.
PLA, a division of the American Library Association, fielded the nationally representative survey in collaboration with the American Institutes for Research late last year. It examines library patron resources, technology infrastructure, digital literacy programming, technology staffing, and funding.
More than 63 percent of public libraries offer online job and employment resources. By deploying augmented reality for job training, videoconferencing resources, and in-person and virtual coworking spaces, libraries advance community economic recovery and empower users to find new work and careers as the labor market adjusts.
E-books and e-audiobooks dominate public library technology-enabled services. More than 93 percent of U.S. public libraries offer digital collections in high demand. Library e-book provider Overdrive recently reported an unprecedented 33% increase in e-book checkouts in 2020.
Students and families who rely on their cell phones to access the internet look to libraries for support. In response, more than half of U.S. libraries offer access to library materials, homework help, and other services through intuitive and innovative library mobile apps. Nearly two-thirds of libraries now offer wireless printing as well.
While libraries sustain and expand technology offerings, the survey also reveals areas of concern. Data shows gaps in available general technology resources and staffing among city, suburban, and town/rural public libraries. For example, 40.4 percent of town/rural libraries have upgraded their bandwidth, compared to 51.4 percent of city libraries. In addition, more than 65 percent of city libraries reported having full-time library IT staff, but only 32 percent of suburban and 11 percent of town/rural libraries report this is the case. Further, more than one-third (34.6%) cannot improve bandwidth because faster speeds are not available.
From e-books to online test preparation, a library card provides access to a world of free resources, whether logging in from home or checking out technology such as hotspots to use wherever you are. Additional information regarding Library Card Sign-up Month and the value of library service is available at ala.org/librarycardsignup.
The Public Library Association (PLA), a division of the American Library Association, is the largest association dedicated to supporting public library professionals' unique and evolving needs. Founded in 1944, PLA serves nearly 10,000 members in public libraries large and small in communities across the United States and Canada, with a growing presence worldwide. PLA strives to help its members shape the essential institution of public libraries by serving as an indispensable ally for public library leaders.
Cindy Hohl, director of policy analysis and operational support at Kansas City (Mo.) Public Library, was inaugurated ALA President for 2024-2025 on Tuesday, July 2, at the ALA Annual Conference in San Diego.
The American Library Association (ALA) is teaming up with Skybound Entertainment and Hasbro to encourage people to roll out to their libraries with the TRANSFORMERS franchise, featuring Optimus Prime, as part of Library Card Sign-Up Month in September.
Today the American Library Association (ALA) kicks off its Reader. Voter. Ready. campaign, calling on advocates to sign a pledge to be registered, informed, and ready to vote in all local, state and federal elections in 2024.
Staff at the Department of Public Instruction's Division for Libraries and Technology (DLT) welcome you to our web page. We are here to serve the life-long learning and information needs of all Wisconsin citizens from preschoolers to senior citizens.
Listed on the left are some key programs of the division. Division teams and service areas are listed below. We look forward to serving you. Please let us know if you have any comments or suggestions.
The Application Development Team provides centralized professional automated information system planning, development, and implementation; empower department staff to query, report, and analyze department data; and ensure effective use of technology.
Our IT projects utilize an agile development framework known as Scrum that increases collaboration with our customers. Scrum is a simple yet incredibly powerful set of principles and practices that help teams deliver products in short cycles, enabling fast feedback, continual improvement, and rapid adaptation to change. For more in depth descriptions and examples of Scrum go to the Scrum Alliance website at www.scrumalliance.org.
Our mission is to facilitate the secure collection of accurate information about schools, public libraries, students and education in Wisconsin. DPI uses online data applications to gather limited and timely data from public school districts, private schools, and non-district charter schools to meet the reporting requirements of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA).
The overarching goal of the Data Warehouse and Decision Support Team is to provide tools to facilitate data-driven decision-making for school and district improvement and to assist educators looking to better understand and improve educational outcomes for Wisconsin students. The Data Warehouse and Decision Support team is charged with building, maintaining, and providing user support around the Wisconsin Information System for Education (WISE), a cutting edge decision support environment for internal staff, education practitioners, and the public at large. The team also supports any mandatory federal or state reporting requirements. Leveraging the unique philosophy of data warehouse concepts and technologies, the focus is placed on data integration and easy-to-use interfaces for data analysis. Metadata development and data stewardship programs are crucial to the team's success in achieving these goals.
Public Library Development Consultants provide leadership, advocacy, expert assistance, planning, coordination, and funding for the improvement of library systems and public libraries so that Wisconsin residents will have convenient and equitable access to knowledge and information resources.
School Libraries pages provide essential information about district library planning, Common School Funds, evaluation tools, and essential resources for library media specialists, as well as connections to the school library media education consultant for assistance and leadership.
WISCAT/ILL is a resource sharing tool that can be used by Wisconsin libraries of all types and sizes to locate materials for interlibrary loan, as well as a cost effective method by which libraries can convert their collections to the MARC bibliographic standard for use as the basis of local automation projects.
The Wisconsin Digital Archives and Wisconsin Document Depository Program is a growing collection of documents published by state government from 2001-current. These full-text documents provide a record of major state government programs and cover current, newsworthy topics about life in Wisconsin.
Library Technology Guides provides comprehensive and objective information surrounding the many different types of technology products and services used by libraries. It covers the organizations that develop and support library-oriented software and systems. The site offers extensive databases and document repositories to assist libraries as they consider new systemsand is an essential resource for professionals in the field to stay current with new developments and trends.Relevant news items are posted daily on Twitter:
Notable ObservationsLibraries show strong interest in products from Clarivate Library Software Group.The migration intentions given by libraries using legacy products mention Alma more than other products. Polaris was listed as the top migration candidate by libraries using Symphony and Horizon. Several legacy products are approaching the end of their lifecycle. Installations of Aleph and Voyager from Ex Libis, part of Clarivate Library Software Group, are decreasing rapidly and the products,though they continue to be supported. Millennium and Virtua installations have declined even more drastically. Almost all libraries using these products have processes underway to move to new systems.Interest continues to build for open source products, especially FOLIO and Koha. The migration intentions given by libraries using legacy products mention FOLIO more than any other product except Alma. Open source products are a routine option for public and school libraries as well. Both Koha and Evergreen show high levels of satisfaction, though some support providers receive higher scores than others. As ever larger libraries implement open source products, the satisfaction scores may decrease given the harsher scoring of large libraries.OPALS used mostly in school and very small academic libraries, earns superlative scores. Narrative comments suggested that many libraries avoid open source products due to a perception that they would need more staff with technical skills.About 5 percent of academic libraries signal interest in migrating to a new system, mostly from those remaining on legacy ILS products,but also from those that have been using a library service platform for a decade that are reviewing options.Academic libraries showed increasing interest in migrating from 2007 through 2014, with steadily declining interest since. The launch of Alma and WorldShare Management Services in 2011 sparked great interest, which peaked in 2015. After that year the percent of academic libraries considering migrating diminished as large portions of these libraries had moved to a library services platform and were well occupied in implementing and optimizing those new installations. With FOLIO now established as a viable option, academic libraries that were previously deferring migration considerations may now be in play.The satisfaction scores given to Alma are moderate, consistent with those given by large and complex libraries.Only a handful of libraries indicate interest in changing to another product. Of libraries considering migrating from legacy products, Alma continues to be listed as the top migration candidate, followed by FOLIO. Alma receives higher marks for its functionality for the management of electronic resources than for print. Since academic libraries generally spend most of their collection budgets on electronic resources, weaker capabilities for managing print does not seem to detract substantially from the overall satisfaction levels for Alma.The portion of public libraries considering system replacement has declined steadily since the first year of the survey. The high interest among public libraries in migration during the early years of the survey was driven by the industry turmoil. Since about 2015, public library interest in migrations has steadily declined, possibly due to the lack of compelling alternatives. This year only 3.3 percent of public libraries expressed interest in changing systems. The proprietary and open source ILS products used by public libraries are mature and increasingly less differentiated.Many public libraries are opting to acquire additional components for discovery, patron engagement, or analytics,rather than make a lateral move to another ILS product. No library management product can be expected to work well for all libraries.Public, academic, school, and special libraries each have distinctive characteristics relative to the types of material in their collections and in the services they provide.The type, size, and overall complexity are important factors when considering the technology products and services best suited for any given library.Accordingly, this survey segments responses into categories determined by library type and collection size to assess each product within relevant peer groups. Each annual survey provides a snapshot of the perceived capabilities of each product, and uses results from previous years to identify trends regarding the satisfaction and performance of the products their vendors.
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