Study: Library Computers Serve Key Ed. Role

The April 7th edition of Education Week ran an article about the use of library computers. The study was funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. It was conducted at the University of Washington’s information school and was designed to discern the demographics of library use as well as what library technology is being used for.


This study was featured in Education Week, because the 77 million people in the United States using library computers are not only searching for jobs, communicating with friends, or banking. They are doing homework. Young people are the biggest users regardless of demographic groups. “Nearly half the nation’s 14 to 18 year-olds—about 11.8 million people—reported having used a library computer last year, and a quarter of teenagers used a library computer at least once a week” (“Education Week”,2010, p.10).

Families living below the poverty line—families of four with a household income of $22,000 or less—continue to log the highest use, yet the study revealed that use is widespread among demographic groups. Researchers used random national telephone surveys, in person interviews, and online surveys to gather data. The study “confirms what public libraries have been saying as they compete for public dollars to expand their services and high-speed Internet access: Library use by the general public is widespread and not just among poor people” (“Education Week”,2010, p. 10).



Education Week: American Education’s Newspaper of Record (April 7th ed.).(2010). Bethesda, MD: Editorial Projects in Education Inc.