Important Notice to Participants: We are grateful to the public librarians who complete the questionnaire and provide us with their essential information year after year. If you are having trouble completing your questionnaire online, please contact staff at the University of Illinois Library Research Center at 217-333-1980, as they are managing the technical aspects of this project.
The Public Library Data Service (PLDS) Statistical Report, a project of the PLA, is designed to meet the needs of public library administrators and others for timely and effective library-specific data that illuminates and supports a wide variety of management decisions. Since its beginning in 1988, PLDS reports have also been used extensively by news outlets to better understand public libraries.
Published annually, the PLDS report presents exclusive, timely data from more than 800 public libraries across the United States and Canada on finances, library resources, annual use figures, and technology. In addition to these valuable topics, each year's edition contains a special survey highlighting statistics on one service area or topic. For more information about the PLDS Statistical Report contact the PLA office at 1-800-545-2433, ext. 5PLA or pla@ala.org
Visit Bibliostat Connect, a customizable database of library statistics drawn from information in the PLDS report, the FSCS (Federal State Cooperative System), and each state's own annual statistical report.