American Library Association Publishes 2011-2012 Annual Report; More than 75% of Libraries Now Offer eBooks
Direct to Full Text of ALA Annual Report
From an ALA Announcement:
The report highlights the key initiatives of former ALA President Molly Raphael, which centered on “Empowering Voices.” The report also underscores how ALA supports the efforts of libraries in providing essential technological resources, protecting patron privacy and promoting early childhood literacy.
Libraries continue to lead the way in the transformation of libraries and library services in an increasingly global digital information environment. The Public Library Funding & Technology Access Study funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation reported that more than 62 percent of libraries report offering the only free Internet access in their community. More than 90 percent of public libraries now offer formal or informal technology training. In addition, more than three-quarters of libraries offer access to e-books, a 9 percent increase from the previous year, while e-book readers are available for check-out at 39 percent of public libraries.
Direct to Full Text of ALA Annual Report
Filed under: Associations and Organizations, Funding, Libraries, News, Public Libraries, Reports

About Gary Price
Gary Price (gprice@gmail.com) is a librarian, writer, consultant, and frequent conference speaker based in the Washington D.C. metro area. He earned his MLIS degree from Wayne State University in Detroit. Price has won several awards including the SLA Innovations in Technology Award and Alumnus of the Year from the Wayne St. University Library and Information Science Program. From 2006-2009 he was Director of Online Information Services at Ask.com.