FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 05, 2005

Press Contacts
202-653-4632
Eileen Maxwell, emaxwell@imls.gov
Mamie Bittner, mbittner@imls.gov

Nearly Half a Million Dollars for University of Illinois and Pew Research Center Internet Investigation

Federal Institute of Museum and Library Services funds national study of how effectively public libraries provide government information to Americans with limited Internet access

Washington, DC—The federal Institute of Museum and Library Services announced a cooperative agreement today with the University of Illinois Library Research Center (LRC) to investigate, in partnership with the Pew Internet & American Life Project, how effectively public libraries and community technology centers provide government information to people with limited access to the Internet. The agency awarded $495,053 for the national study; findings and recommendations for improving services to the public are expected in October 2007.

“A number of national studies have examined the demographic and geographic factors affecting Internet behavior and use, most notably the Pew Internet & American Life surveys,” said Mary Chute, director of the agency. “But little is known about how people with limited access to the Internet find government information, what kinds of assistance are available to them, and how information services to them can be improved.” This project will fill in these gaps through a national telephone survey of users, surveys of libraries and community technology centers, and case studies of exemplary organizations that provide access to government information and related training and services.

The LRC, established in 1961, conducts research about libraries and librarians' issues. Based at the Graduate School of Library and Information Science at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, the LRC specializes in social science approaches to data collection and analysis. Among its recent clients are the Mellon Foundation, the National Science Foundation, and the American Library Association.

The Pew Internet & American Life Project is a non-profit research center supported by The Pew Charitable Trusts. The Project is exploring the impact of the Internet on families, communities, work and home, daily life, education, health care, and civic and political life. The Project aims to be an authoritative source on the evolution of the Internet through collection of data and analysis of real-world developments as they affect the virtual world.

In January 2005, a report by the General Services Administration recommended that the Institute of Museum and Library Services initiate a study of the methods of effectively delivering government services online. The Institute issued a request for proposals on May 20 and received five applications, which were sent to a panel of reviewers. The study will be led by Leigh Estabrook, former dean of the University of Illinois Graduate School of Library and Information Science and current director of the LRC. She will work in collaboration with Lee Rainie, director of the Pew Internet & American Life Project.