Hello all,

The 2009-2010 Public Library Funding & Technology Access survey (www.ala.org/plinternetfunding) conducted by the American Library Association (ALA) and the Center for Library & Information Innovation at the University of Maryland (www.liicenter.org) is available for completion at www.plinternetsurvey.org. The survey is open through November 6, 2009. You will need an ID number which you should have received in the survey announcement postcard mailed directly to library directors or can be looked up on the website http://survey.pnmi.com/lookup.survey?NJ.

Survey Purpose: Funded by the American Library Association and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the survey provides important data regarding public library internet connectivity, use, funding, and services. The data from the study will help you plan or improve technology and service deployment, and identify the impacts of your library\x92s PC and internet access on the community the library serves. The survey narrative and data can also support you in 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 your library faces in providing free PC and internet access services and resources; how library staff and technology resources support community employment, e-government, and education services; the challenges libraries face in funding their services and resources; and the need for libraries, as community anchor institutions, to have access to r obu st high speed Internet connectivity as part of the recent broadband stimulus component of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), also known as the Stimulus Bill. Data from the study appeared most recently in USA Today (http://www.usatoday.com/tech/2009-09-01-library-computers-internet_N.htm) in a discussion of how public libraries help job seekers.

Both Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Opportunity Online and Non-Opportunity Online libraries participate in the survey to ensure a balanced representation of libraries. However, Opportunity Online libraries must complete the survey. The list of libraries in Opportunities Online progaram is available at http://survey.pnmi.com/programs/index.survey?state=NJ&program=GATES. Please note that the Opportunity Online library systems that have additional branches have not been informed directly but ALA and CLII request branches to complete additional surveys.

Your participation in the survey is extremely important, as it directly impacts the ability of ALA and others to advocate on behalf of public libraries. Additional information regarding the survey and previous survey results is available at http://www.liicenter.org/plinternet. The full Public Library Funding & Technology Access Study can be found online at www.ala.org/plinternetfunding.

Contact Information for any questions: support@PROTECTED or 301.405.9445.

Thank you for your time and willingness to participate.

Alka Bhatnagar Analysis and Trends Specialist New Jersey State Library Library Development Bureau 185 West State Street Trenton, NJ 08625-0520 PH: 609-278-2640 x 133 Fax: 609-278-2650 Email: abhatnagar@PROTECTED URL: www.njstatelib.org

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