Public libraries increasingly function as technology access points as well as places to borrow books. The ALA 2023 Public Library Technology Survey Summary Report found that 99.4% of libraries offer patron Wi-Fi, 95.0% offer e-books or e-audiobooks, and 95.3% provide some programming or training in digital literacy topics. The same report shows a wide range of adoption for specialized equipment, online services, and broadband infrastructure.
Contents
- Digital collections and everyday services
- Training, literacy, and digital inclusion
- Creative equipment and technology-enabled programs
- Mobile access and community outreach
- Library broadband infrastructure
- Connection performance and patron needs
- Funding and constraints
Digital collections and everyday services
Digital content is among the most widespread forms of library technology. The ALA 2023 Public Library Technology Survey Summary Report says 95.0% of libraries offer e-books or e-audiobooks. Streaming and other downloadable media are available from 57.7% of libraries, giving patrons another technology-enabled way to access content beyond a physical collection.
Many libraries also use online tools to extend familiar reference and information services. Genealogy tools are offered online by 73.1% of libraries, while 60.7% offer health resources online. Job or employment resources are available online from 71.5% of libraries, and 50.2% offer language learning resources. Homework assistance is a technology-enabled service at 41.4% of libraries.
The report also records more direct digital communication with staff. Reference services through chat or text are offered by 24.9% of libraries. Videoconferencing software access for patrons is available at 32.1%. These figures describe whether a service is offered, not how frequently patrons use it or how many devices, staff hours, or appointments each library provides.
Training, literacy, and digital inclusion
Digital literacy is nearly universal as a library programming category. In the ALA 2023 Public Library Technology Survey Summary Report, 95.3% of libraries report offering some kind of formal or informal digital literacy training, and the same 95.3% figure is reported for any programming or training in digital literacy topics.
The most common training topics are broad, practical skills. Informal training in general computer hardware or software skills is offered by 51.6% of overall libraries. Informal training in internet-use topics is offered by 54.5%. Town or rural libraries report a 51.6% rate for informal training in general computer hardware or software skills.
More specialized instruction is less common. The report says 11.5% of overall libraries provide formal training in web development and digital content creation, while 12.6% provide informal training in coding and maker technology. Another 10.6% provide informal training in other technology topics, including assistive technology and videoconferencing.
Some libraries provide technology help through continuing relationships rather than a single class. A Digital Navigator program, or staff or partners assisting patrons through repeated interactions, is reported by 29.7% of libraries. A further 19.7% are involved in a digital equity or inclusion coalition at the local, state, or regional level.
Creative equipment and technology-enabled programs
Libraries offer patrons access to several kinds of production equipment, although these services are not as widespread as Wi-Fi or digital collections. Maker production equipment is available at 39.5% of libraries. Digital media production equipment is available at 24.6%, and design software is offered for patrons by 14.0%.
Online programming also varies substantially by format. Live online public programs or discussion forums are offered by 41.1% of libraries. Live online classes or job training are offered by 15.7%. Formal telehealth sessions are available at 8.5%, while virtual reality experiences are offered as a formal online or technology-enabled service by 9.2%.
Other formal services remain less common. Home broadband adoption assistance is offered by 9.7% of libraries. Individual online consultation appointments, apart from the listed categories, are offered by 12.3%. Another 5.5% offer other formal technology-enabled services. These percentages represent the share of libraries reporting an offering in the ALA 2023 Public Library Technology Survey Summary Report; they do not measure the number of sessions or participants.
Mobile access and community outreach
Library technology is also delivered through websites, apps, vendor platforms, and mobile-oriented access points. The ALA 2023 Public Library Technology Survey Summary Report says 83.3% of libraries report that their website is optimized for mobile devices. A library-specific mobile app is available at 28.0% of libraries.
Vendor-delivered applications are more common than library-specific apps. Libby, Beanstack, and similar vendor-delivered apps are offered for patron access by 85.1% of libraries. Scanned codes such as QR codes are used for mobile access to services by 51.3%.
The difference between these figures is useful when describing a library technology environment. A library may provide mobile access through a responsive website, an outside vendor’s application, or a QR-linked service without maintaining its own mobile app. The percentages are therefore measures of distinct service approaches, not mutually exclusive categories.
Technology can also travel beyond the library building. The report says 17.3% of libraries conduct technology-based outreach in the community, such as a mobile laptop lab or cybermobile. This is a smaller share than the proportion offering online content or in-building connectivity, but it identifies a specific strategy for reaching patrons away from a fixed branch.
Library broadband infrastructure
Patron connectivity is widespread. According to the ALA 2023 Public Library Technology Survey Summary Report, 99.4% of libraries offer Wi-Fi internet access to patrons. Fiber optic is reported as the public access internet connection by 74.8% of libraries.
The survey reports separate subscribed speeds and speed-test results. Across all libraries, the average subscribed download speed for public access internet connections is 504 Mbps, and the average subscribed upload speed is 441 Mbps. Average wired-connection speed-test results are 241 Mbps for download and 171 Mbps for upload. Average Wi-Fi speed-test results are 122 Mbps for download and 88 Mbps for upload.
| Broadband measure | Average reported result |
|---|---|
| Subscribed download speed | 504 Mbps |
| Subscribed upload speed | 441 Mbps |
| Wired download speed test | 241 Mbps |
| Wired upload speed test | 171 Mbps |
| Wi-Fi download speed test | 122 Mbps |
| Wi-Fi upload speed test | 88 Mbps |
Subscribed capacity and measured performance are different indicators. The subscribed figures describe the service ordered, while the wired and Wi-Fi figures are average speed-test results. The report presents them separately, so they should not be treated as interchangeable measures of the same connection.
Connection performance and patron needs
The ALA 2023 Public Library Technology Survey Summary Report also compares subscribed speeds with two FCC broadband thresholds. Under the old 25/3 Mbps threshold, 5.6% of libraries fall below the threshold because their subscribed download or upload speed misses the relevant benchmark. Under the new 100/20 Mbps threshold, 28.4% fall below because their subscribed download or upload speed misses the relevant benchmark.
Libraries’ assessments of patron experience are generally positive, but not universal. Public-computer connection speed often meets patron needs at 90.4% of libraries. Wi-Fi connection speed often meets patron needs at 86.2%.
These measures address different questions. The threshold figures classify subscribed speed against specified benchmarks. The patron-needs figures report libraries’ assessment of whether public-computer or Wi-Fi speed is usually adequate. A library can therefore be counted differently across these measures depending on its subscribed service, tested performance, local demand, and assessment of patron needs.
Funding and constraints
Technology capacity depends partly on how libraries budget for it. The ALA 2023 Public Library Technology Survey Summary Report says 60.8% of libraries have a budget line item or designated funding specifically for public access technology.
Cost is one reported barrier to expanding broadband. At 30.5% of libraries, cost prevents increasing broadband bandwidth. Contract structure is another constraint: 40.1% of libraries say they are locked into a contract for a particular broadband speed, including E-rate.
Together, these figures show why a library’s technology profile cannot be summarized by one connectivity statistic. Nearly every library offers Wi-Fi, but fewer have a dedicated public-access-technology funding line. A library may have a high subscribed speed while still reporting a barrier to purchasing more bandwidth, or it may face a contract limit that delays a speed upgrade. The survey’s funding and constraint measures describe these conditions as reported by libraries during the survey period.
The broad pattern is a layered technology ecosystem: digital collections are common, digital literacy support is widespread, and Wi-Fi is nearly universal. Specialized equipment, formal online services, mobile apps, community technology outreach, and broadband expansion funding appear at lower rates. Reading the figures together provides a more precise picture of how public libraries support access, learning, communication, and technology use.