Educational/Literacy Impact

In the middle schools, FCAT scores are higher where:

In the middle schools, FCAT scores are higher where: There are more certified, university-trained school library media specialists and the library media center is staffed more hours per week. More materials are circulated. There are more videos in the collection and more reference materials on CD-ROM. More computers in the library media center provide access to the Internet.

In Florida’s elementary schools, FCAT scores are higher where

In Florida’s elementary schools, FCAT [Florida's Comprehensive Assessment Test] scores are higher where:There is a certified, university-trained library media specialist.The total number of paid staff is higher and there are more hours per week of staffing.Circulation is higher.Schools have access to the library media center catalog through the school’s computer network.There are more books and videos.There are more computers in the library media center and those computers provide Internet access.There are more non-print materials purchased from the school budget.

Middle schools with higher library staffing received higher scores

At the middle school level, in higher scoring schools, 53.9% of middle schools with more than 80 HPW [hours per week] of library staffing scored at grade level or better while only 46.1% passed in schools with poorer staffing.

FCAT and ACT scores are significantly higher where there is increased library usage

Both high school FCAT [Florida's Comprehensive Assessment Test] and ACT scores are significantly higher where there is increased library usage (visits by individuals to the library media center).

FCAT scores are higher where:

In Florida high schools, FCAT [Florida's Comprehensive Assessment Test] scores are higher where:The library media center is staffed more hours per week.There are more certified library media specialists.There are more paid library media staff members.There are more interlibrary loans provided to other schools in the district.There are more visits to the library media center to use technologyThere are more networked computers in the school and more computers with Internet access.There are more computers in the library media center and more computers have Internet access.

High schools showed improved test scores where there was better library staffing

High schools showed even larger differences in test scores where there was better staffing:55.1% of students passed the FCAT [Florida's Comprehensive Assessment Test] reading test in higher scoring schools with library media staffing of 80 HPW [hours per week] or more, while only 37% passed in schools with poorer staffing.

Increased Importance of Libraries Amongst Users

The National Library of Finland coordinated a customer survey for users of research and special libraries as well as public libraries in 2010. The first national online questionnaire was conducted in 2006. The number of responses rose by 56% compared to the previous survey. In the public library sector, over 80% of the users agreed that the library services had supported their cultural and literary interests. Around 80% of the university and university applied sciences library users thought that libraries had helped to improve the quality of their work and studies, the same was true for 71% of the special library respondents. In all libraries, the staff's willingness to provide assistance was one of the most important factors affecting the quality of service. In terms of their service attitude, libraries were assessed as having succeeded as well or even slightly better than two years ago.

Public Libraries adding to Maryland community development

Forty-three percent stated that having a public library move into a community would help attract businesses to the area, and 78 percent believed that public libraries improve a community by helping people learn new skills so they can get better jobs. A whopping 98 percent felt that public libraries help people learn new things no matter what their age.

Mixed method research design employed by the U.S. IMPACT studies to develop and validate performance indicators related specifically to the outcomes of public access computing (PAC)

Through the use of a nationwide telephone survey, library case studies, and a nationwide Internet survey of public access computing patrons, this approach will generate generalizable quantitative data on the extent and distribution of the use of public access computing resources, as well as provide rich contextual data that will help in the understanding of how patrons use the computer and Internet connections in public libraries and the impact it has on their lives. Further, the mixed methods approach will allow for the examination of external factors that may influence patron outcomes, including the level library services and funding, community perceptions, and the availability of alternative modes of free access to computers and the Internet.