Nearly all of Iowa’s libraries have Internet access

A new study finds almost 100-percent of libraries across Iowa and America are on-line. Carol Brey-Casiano, president of the American Library Association, says library use is at an all-time high in the state and nation and part of the reason is the availability of the Internet. Brey-Casiano says they knew many libraries were providing Internet access for people in their communities but the study demonstrates nearly 100-percent are not only on-line, but offer the access for free. She says libraries are more critical than ever in leveling the playing field to provide access to information on-line.She says it’s important because many people still don’t have home access to the Internet and “the library is the logical place” for them to do everything from applying for jobs to keeping up with current events to learning about any given topic. Brey-Casiano says the study did unveil an unexpected flip-side — that many libraries can’t meet the demand for the Internet. The study found 85-percent of libraries were having trouble providing enough access, that the service has become so popular, people have to wait in line to get on-line. The study was released today (Thursday) at the American Library Association Conference in Chicago, considered the world’s largest library gathering — of more than 20-thousand librarians, library workers, authors and guests. For more information, surf to “www.ala.org”.