This website – from the Center for Library & Information Innovation in the College of Information Studies at the University of Maryland – supports public libraries in their mission to provide Internet access and related content and services to people and their communities. As more people rely on the public library for Internet access and training for education, job-seeking, interactions with government, communication, and entertainment, this site serves as a source for findings, data, reports, and publications devoted to public libraries and their involvement with and use of the Internet. This content can help libraries, decision makers, policy makers, and others:

• Understand the impact libraries have on their communities and the people they serve, particularly in the areas of public internet access, education, E-Government and employment
• Contextualize public library services, and
• Advocate for greater support

To achieve these goals, this site brings together findings from the national Public Library Funding and Technology Survey (for more on the survey, see below), other related data, and community resources to assist librarians and others better understand the significant roles public internet and computer access plays in communities across the nation. 
 
This site contains the reports from all surveys since 1994, along with reports and key findings the current 2009-2010 survey; issue briefs and handouts for advocacy and other purposes; resources that combine the survey and other data to identify key trends, impacts, and benefits; publications based on the survey and other data; and uses of the survey data in a range of areas such as Congressional testimony, Supreme Court decisions, the media, and elsewhere.  The content on this site will continue to grow over in coming months, with particular emphasis on advocacy materials that build support for public libraries.
 
Each year, the American Library Association and the Center for Library & Information Innovation, with support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, surveys a national sample of public libraries regarding their Internet connectivity and computing access resources. Dr. John Carlo Bertot and Ms. Denise M. Davis are the study managers. This continues the biennial surveys of public library public computer and Internet access conducted since 1994. More information regarding the overall project is available at http://www.ala.org/plinternetfunding.
 
The data from the study help libraries and library systems plan or improve technology and service deployment, assess library broadband needs, report progress and challenges to your funders regarding the library's public access technology, and identify the impacts of library public computer and Internet access on the community. The survey report and data also support efforts to inform and educate stakeholders - policymakers, funders, elected officials, supporters, and the media - at the local, state and national levels about the issues and needs libraries faces in providing public computer and Internet access services and resources.