Highlights: Survey of Public Library Plans for Workstations, Personal Computers, Laptops and Other Computing Devices

A new report from Primary Research Group.
Ordering Info and Five Page Excerpt Available Here (ISBN 978-1-57440-243-8).

The study looks at the purchasing plans and computer use policies of public libraries in the United States and Canada.
Just a few of the study’s main findings are that:

• The public library systems in the sample spent a mean of $47,357 for personal computers and workstations in the past year

• Public libraries with more than 10 employees purchased a mean of 3.71 laptop computers in the past year

• Libraries with a budget of less than $100,000 had an average stock of only 1.31 laptops

• The libraries in the sample spent a mean of $824 to pay for laptops lost to theft or misplacement in the past year

• The libraries in the sample spent a mean of $483 on eBook reading devices in 2012

• 44.% of the libraries currently own or lease an Amazon Kindle

• 18.37% of the libraries plan on purchasing a Barnes & Noble nook over the next two years

• Main public libraries had an average of 3.29 “computer centers” or “information commons” in their main library

• 23.08% of libraries with a budget higher than $1 million and 37.5% of public library systems have invested between $500 and $5,000 in iPhone technology

• 94.44% of libraries with 1 to 10 FTE employees have made no investment in Android-based phone technology

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