Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) Releases 2020 Data on American Public Libraries

From the Institute For Museum and Library Services:

The Institute of Museum and Library Services today released the latest data from its 2020 Public Libraries Survey. The Public Libraries Survey examines key indicators of public library use, financial health, staffing, and resources. Explore the FY 2020 data and documentation.

Last month the agency released a preview of this data in a two-page infographic “How Public Libraries Adapted to Serve Their Communities at the Start of the COVID-19 Pandemic,” which highlights strategies public libraries used to ensure patrons had access to library services as the pademic forced closures in communities around the nation beginning in March 2020.

Each year since 1988, the survey has provided a national census of America’s public libraries. The data are collected from approximately 9,000 public library systems comprised of over 17,000 individual main libraries, library branches, and bookmobiles in the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories.

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