Chapter 7: Libraries and Use of Technology

This chapter presents statistics on elementary and secondary school libraries, college and university libraries (including institution-level information for the 60 largest college libraries in the country), and public libraries. It contains data on library collections, staff, and expenditures, as well as library usage. The tables on libraries in educational institutions are based on National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) data, while the table on public libraries is based on Institute of Museum and Library Sciences data. Also included in this chapter are tables on access to and use of computers and the Internet among children and adults of various racial/ethnic groups, age groups, educational attainment levels, and income levels. These tables are based on data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Other chapters also provide information on use of computers and technology. Chapter 2 includes tables on use of computers and the Internet by elementary and secondary students and schools. Chapter 3 includes tables on distance and online education at the postsecondary level.

Libraries

Among public schools that had a library in 2011–12, the average number of library staff per school was 1.8, including 0.9 certified library/media specialists (web-only table 701.10). On average, public school libraries had larger numbers of books on a per student basis in 2011–12 (2,188 per 100 students) than in 1999–2000 (1,803 per 100 students), 2003–04 (1,891 per 100 students), and 2007–08 (2,015 per 100 students). In 2011–12, public elementary school libraries had larger holdings on a per student basis than did public secondary school libraries (2,570 books per 100 students, compared with 1,474 books per 100 students).

In 2016–17, there were libraries at 91 percent of degree-granting postsecondary institutions overall, 96 percent of public institutions, 95 percent of private nonprofit institutions, and 77 percent of private for-profit institutions (table 701.40). The calculations of library operating expenditures and number of books per full-time-equivalent (FTE) student in the following paragraph include both institutions with libraries and those without libraries.

At degree-granting postsecondary institutions, library operating expenditures per FTE student were 1 percent higher in 2001–02 than in 1991–92, after adjustment for inflation (table 701.40). Library operating expenditures per FTE student dropped by 25 percent from 2001–02 to 2011–12 (in inflation-adjusted dollars), but then rose by 17 percent from 2011–12 to 2016–17, resulting in a net decrease of 12 percent between 2001–02 and 2016–17. In 2016–17, library operating expenditures per FTE student averaged $551 (in current dollars) across all degree-granting institutions. The amount varied widely by institution control, however: library operating expenditures averaged $457 per FTE student attending a public institution in 2016–17, compared with $959 per FTE student attending a private nonprofit institution and $94 per FTE student attending a private for-profit institution. In 2016–17, the average number of books (including physical and electronic books) per FTE student also differed for public institutions (84 books), private nonprofit institutions (185 books), and private for-profit institutions (134 books). Across all degree-granting institutions, the average number of books per FTE student in 2016–17 was 111.

In 2016, there were 9,057 public libraries in the United States with a total of 732 million books and serial volumes (table 701.60). The annual number of visits per capita–that is, per resident of the areas served by the libraries—was 4.4, the annual number of reference transactions per capita was 0.8, and the annual number of uses of public-access internet computers per capita was 0.9.

Computer and Internet Use

Ninety-seven percent of all 3- to 18-year-old children had some type of computer or smartphone in their household in 2017 (table 702.10). A higher percentage of 3- to 18-year-old children lived in a household with a smartphone (94 percent) than in a household with a desktop or laptop (83 percent) or in a household with a tablet or other portable wireless computer (78 percent).

The percentages of children ages 3 to 18 with various types of devices in their household differed by race/ethnicity in 2017. For example, 94 percent of Asian children had a desktop or laptop in their household, compared with 90 percent of White children, 87 percent of children of Two or more races, 74 percent of Hispanic children, 73 percent of Pacific Islander children, 72 percent of Black children, and 65 percent of American Indian/Alaska Native children (table 702.10). The percentages of children who lived in a household with a smartphone were higher for Asian children (97 percent), children of Two or more races (96 percent), and White children (96 percent) than for Hispanic children (93 percent), Black children (91 percent), Pacific Islander children (90 percent), and American Indian/Alaska Native children (84 percent).

In 2017, the percentages of children ages 3 to 18 who lived in households with desktops or laptops, smartphones, and tablets or other portable wireless computers were generally higher for those with higher family incomes than for those with lower family incomes. For example, the percentage of children living in a household with a desktop or laptop computer was highest for children with family incomes of over $100,000 (97 percent) and lowest for children with family incomes of less than $10,000 (55 percent) (table 702.10). The percentages of children who lived in a household with a smartphone and who lived in a household with a tablet or other portable wireless computer were also highest for children with family incomes of over $100,000 (98 and 92 percent, respectively) and lowest for children with family incomes of less than $10,000 (84 and 53 percent, respectively).

In 2017, the percentages of children who lived in households with various types of devices were generally higher for children whose parent(s) had higher levels of educational attainment than for those whose parent(s) had lower levels of educational attainment (table 702.10 and figure 30). For example, the percentage of children with a desktop or laptop in their household was higher for those who had a parent with a bachelor’s or higher degree (97 percent) than for those who had a parent whose highest level of education was an associate’s degree (90 percent), some college (82 percent), a high school diploma or equivalent (69 percent), and less than high school (55 percent). The percentage of children with a smartphone in their household was higher for those who had a parent with a bachelor’s or higher degree (98 percent) than for those who had a parent whose highest level of education was an associate’s degree (96 percent), some college (95 percent), a high school diploma or equivalent (91 percent), and less than high school (85 percent).

Seventy-eight percent of the U.S. population age 3 and over used the Internet in 2017, up from 70 percent in 2011 (table 702.30). Internet usage differed by various demographic characteristics in 2017. For example, the percentage of internet users was higher for persons age 3 and over who were of Two or more races (82 percent), White (80 percent), and Asian (79 percent) than for those who were Black (73 percent) and Hispanic (72 percent). The percentage of internet users who were American Indian/Alaska Native (63 percent) was lower than the percentages for all other racial/ethnic groups. The percentage of the population age 3 and over who used the Internet was generally higher for those with higher family incomes than for those with lower family. For example, about 86 percent of persons with family incomes of $100,000 to $149,000 used the Internet, compared with 68 percent of persons with family incomes of $20,000 to $29,999. Among persons age 25 and over, the percentage of internet users tended to be higher for those with higher levels of educational attainment (table 702.30 and figure 31). For example, the percentage of persons age 25 and over who used the Internet was higher for those whose highest level of education was a bachelor’s or higher degree (89 percent) than for those whose highest level of education was an associate’s degree (86 percent), some college (83 percent), a high school diploma or equivalent (70 percent), and less than high school (51 percent).

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