Report: Opportunity for All: How the American Public Benefits from Internet Access at U.S. Libraries (Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS 2011)

This report proves the broad use and value of internet access in public libraries. This research, conducted by the University of Washington and funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Institute of Museum and Library Services, was the first large-scale investigation of the ways U.S. library patrons use computers and the Internet at public libraries, why they use it, and how it impacts their lives. The study found that nearly one in three Americans age 14 or older—roughly 77 million people—used a public library computer or wireless network to access the internet in the last year. 

This report and its appendices can be downloaded at