Public libraries delivered 4.0 million programs and drew more than 92.6 million program attendees in fiscal year (FY) 2012. More recent technology data shows that nearly every public library offered Wi-Fi in 2023, while summer reading programs continued to produce measurable participation across states and age groups.
Contents
- National public library program scale
- Library visits, circulation, and borrowers
- Programs for learning, work, and community
- Digital literacy and technology access in 2023
- Summer reading results in Rhode Island
- Statewide summer reading examples
National public library program scale
The American Library Association’s Public Library Use figures for FY 2012 describe a large national program network. Public libraries offered 4.0 million programs during that fiscal year, and more than 92.6 million people attended them. Program attendance increased 5.2% in one year and 54.4% over 10 years, according to the same source. These are FY 2012 figures and should be read as historical measurements rather than current totals.
The FY 2012 Public Libraries Survey included 9,082 respondent libraries. Within that survey, registered borrowers totaled 170,593,000. The scale of the borrower count is different from program attendance: registered borrowers represent people recorded as borrowers, while program attendance counts visits to programs and may include repeated attendance.
The same national source reported more than $11.5 billion in public library revenue in FY 2012. Revenue was up 7.2% over 10 years. This financial measure provides context for the system supporting programs, collections, facilities, and public access services, but it does not represent a program-specific budget.
Library visits, circulation, and borrowers
Library programs operate alongside everyday use of library buildings and collections. Public libraries recorded 1.5 billion in-person visits in FY 2012, with in-person visits up 20.7% over 10 years. They circulated more than 2.2 billion materials, and total circulation was up 28.0% over 10 years.
Children’s materials made up a substantial portion of that circulation. The FY 2012 total for children’s materials was 851,969,000 circulations, or 35.2% of total circulation. This is a circulation measure, not a count of unique children or a count of children’s programs, so it should not be combined with program attendance as though the measures were interchangeable.
| FY 2012 public library measure | Reported figure |
|---|---|
| Public programs offered | 4.0 million |
| Program attendance | More than 92.6 million |
| In-person visits | 1.5 billion |
| Materials circulated | More than 2.2 billion |
| Registered borrowers | 170,593,000 |
| Children’s-material circulations | 851,969,000 |
Public access computing was another major part of library use. Libraries had 271,146 public access computers in FY 2012, an increase of 3.7% in one year. Those computers recorded 340.5 million public access computer use sessions. A session is a use event, not necessarily a unique person, and the available figure does not identify how many sessions were connected to formal library programs.
Programs for learning, work, and community
The FY 2012 Public Library Use data also identifies the types of support libraries offered. Free public Wi-Fi was available at 98% of libraries, while 95% offered summer reading programs. About 90% offered basic digital literacy training. Training on new technology devices was available at 62% of libraries, safe online practices at 57%, and social media use at 56%.
Libraries also supported practical public needs. Seventy-six percent assisted patrons with online government programs and services. Seventy-three percent provided programs supporting job applications, and 68% provided access to online job opportunity resources. Online business information resources were available at 48% of libraries.
Community-oriented programming was also measured. Social connection events for adults were hosted by 61% of libraries, and events for teens by 60%. Early-learning technologies for pre-kindergarten children were provided by 45% of libraries. More than one-third of libraries provided each of the following: literacy programs, GED preparation programs, STEAM programs, and afterschool programs.
These percentages describe whether libraries offered a service or program type. They do not specify how many individual sessions each library held, how many people attended, or whether offerings were available throughout the year.
Digital literacy and technology access in 2023
The ALA 2023 Public Library Technology Survey provides a more recent view of library technology programs and services. In 2023, 95.3% of public libraries offered formal or informal digital literacy training. Almost 30% offered a digital navigator program, a service category that can help people address technology or connectivity barriers. The survey was completed by 1,511 libraries, with a response rate of 16.4%.
Technology lending and production resources were also reported. Hotspots for checkout were offered by 46.9% of libraries, and hotspot lending rose 14.4 percentage points from 2020 to 2023. Digital media production equipment was available at 24.6%, while 39.5% had maker production equipment. Digital equity or inclusion coalition involvement was reported by 19.7% of libraries.
| 2023 technology service or resource | Share of libraries |
|---|---|
| Formal or informal digital literacy training | 95.3% |
| E-books and/or e-audiobooks | 95% |
| Streaming and downloadable media | 57.5% |
| Hotspots for checkout | 46.9% |
| Maker production equipment | 39.5% |
| Digital media production equipment | 24.6% |
| Digital equity or inclusion coalition involvement | 19.7% |
E-books and/or e-audiobooks were offered by 95% of libraries in 2023, while 57.5% offered streaming and downloadable media. Subscription costs or payment terms were selected as a top factor affecting digital content offerings by 85.7% of libraries. Fifty-two percent applied for the E-rate program.
Connectivity was widespread, but the survey also recorded limits. Wi-Fi internet access was offered by 99.4% of public libraries. Public-computer connections often met patron needs according to 90.4% of libraries, and Wi-Fi connections often met patron needs according to 86.2%. However, 28.4% subscribed to internet connections that did not meet the new federal broadband definition. Overall, 5.6% reported subscribed speeds below the former 25/3 Mbps federal broadband threshold.
Because the 2023 response rate was 16.4%, these survey results describe the responding survey population and should not automatically be treated as a complete census of every public library.
Summer reading results in Rhode Island
The Institute of Museum and Library Services project record 2022-RI-92479 reports statewide Rhode Island summer reading results. The 2022 program ran for eight weeks in every public library in the state. Twenty-eight libraries ran 119 summer reading challenges.
Readers logged 21,444 books, 3,154,486 minutes, and 14,067 activities during the program. Participation was reported separately by age group: 10,052 children, 2,030 teens, and 3,152 adults. Across virtual and/or in-person library programs statewide, 54,979 youth and adults attended.
The Rhode Island figures show why a summer reading program can have several valid outcome measures. Books, minutes, and activities quantify engagement, while age-group participation quantifies people in the reported categories. Attendance at virtual and/or in-person programs is a separate measure and should not be added to the age-group totals without knowing whether the categories use the same counting method.
Statewide summer reading examples
Other IMLS project records show how program delivery varied by state and project design. Alabama’s 2021 statewide summer library program included 5,405 programs and drew 238,933 participants. Alabama reported 87 libraries holding in-person programs, nine holding virtual programs, and 37 holding hybrid programs. These venue counts describe participating library types in the project record; they are not a national total.
Montana libraries reported 32,665 people attending summer reading programs. That participation data came from six libraries using the ReadSquared app plus 51 other Montana librarians. A related Montana statewide summer reading support project covered 588,593 Montanans in 16 counties. The coverage figure describes the population reached by the support effort, not the number who attended a program.
The IMLS record for Oklahoma’s 2018 Music Summer Reading Program reports that public libraries requested more than 9,500 summer reading items. The materials went to 212 municipal and system branch libraries. The project recorded 20,226 infants and toddlers under age four attending summer reading story-times and age-related activities.
Rolla Public Library’s summer program in Missouri had more than 600 participants, and more than 300 completed the full summer reading challenge of 10 or more books. Participants could earn a free book after five books or five literacy activities. They could earn another free book for every five additional books read, up to five free books total. These are participation and incentive rules for that program, not a general standard for all library programs.
Texas’s 2023 summer reading survey covered 520 public libraries eligible to participate. Because of broadband access concerns, Texas libraries received 20 program manuals on USB. The 2023 program included early literacy, children’s, teen, and adult program manuals, and it used statewide CSLP membership to support public libraries across the state.
Together, these examples include attendance, completion, activity, materials, coverage, and delivery-format measures. Each answers a different question: how many people participated, how deeply they engaged, what resources were distributed, how widely support was offered, or whether programming was in-person, virtual, or hybrid. Keeping those definitions separate is essential when comparing library program statistics across years, states, and individual projects.