As access to the Internet has evolved from a curiosity to a necessity, libraries have taken the lead in making the technology available to their communities. The National Center of Education Statistics’ (NCES) Public Libraries Survey recorded a significant increase in the percentage of libraries providing users with Internet access, with rates rising from 72% in 1998 to 97% in 2002. The extent to which the Internet has become an integral part of libraries is also evident from the fact that as of 2003 the NCES ceased to publish counts of libraries providing such access, focusing instead on the number of library-based computer terminals with Internet access and on whether such access is keeping pace with population growth.

As Figure V-9a illustrates, the number of library-based Internet public-use terminals grew substantially between 2000 and 2005, increasing 86% in the course of those five years. The population-sensitive measure, the number of terminals per 5,000 people, saw an increase of 68%, rising from 1.9 to 3.2 (see the Note on Per Capita Library Statistics). While the total number of Internet terminals nationwide increased, a separate question concerns the geographic distribution of these resources. The states reporting the highest numbers of public-access Internet terminals per capita in 2005 were concentrated in the Midwest and New England and included Alaska as well (Figure V-9b).

Figure V-9a, Full Size Supporting Data

Figure V-9b, Full Size Supporting Data

Although state statistics provide a sense of the distribution of public library Internet access throughout the United States, they do not shed light on the differences in the level of access among areas within states—differences that arise from the fact that public libraries are, for the most part, locally funded (see Indicator V-10, Public Library Expenditures & Funding Sources).