Research & Statistics Resources

Do you have questions about libraries and librarians? The Office for Research and Statistics (ORS) and the American Library Association (ALA) maintains a number of statistical and informational resources to help you understand libraries and librarianship in context.

This section of the American Library Association's website includes:

ALA Initiatives - links to major research initiatives, including the current Digital Inclusion Study, annual survey of Chief Officers of State Library Agencies, and Membership Survey.

Librarianship & Library Staff Statistics - Links to the American Library Association's resources on salaries and staffing.

Statistics about libraries

Also see:

State of America's Libraries: 

The State of America's Libraries Report is issued annually in conjunction with National Library Week (usually the second week in April).  Since 2006, the American Library Association’s Communications and Marketing Office, in coordination with other ALA units, has prepared the report to inform the public about important trends and key issues facing America's libraries.

State of America's Libraries | webpage

State of America's Libraries | PDF version

Digital Inclusion

Digital Inclusion Survey findings and Infographic on how Public Libraries are Leading the Way.

LARKS

LARKS (Librarian and Researcher Knowledge Space), the new site by ORS with tools to help library researchers with tips, resources and helpful tools - for beginners and experienced researchers.

Coming soon

Findings from the second year of the Digital Inclusion Survey will tell us how your digital technologies and services are helping users connect to needed online resources. Find out more!