Public Library Trends

American Libraries is reporting this cool development.
Gannett Releases Searchable Public Library Trends Database
Gannett News Service released a searchable database July 17 that compares trends affecting public library systems between 2002 and 2006. The analysis used data from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) as well as statistics collected from state library data coordinators, compared figures for the some 9,200 library systems, and found that library visits increased by roughly 10% during that five-year period and that circulation of materials rose by 9%.
You can find the Gannett database and use it here.
What you need to know to explore this database
Use the database to search for trends affecting public library systems between 2002 and 2006. To get started, choose a state and then a county.
Select a library system from a list to learn more about changes in circulation of items such as books and videos, number of visits to the library, operating expenses and the number of computers for public use. The reports on each system include general demographic information about the counties where those libraries are located.
You can compare how your local library system with others across the country by looking at these reports:
» Public library systems with the highest circulation per capita
» Public library systems with the most Internet-capable public computers per capita
» Public library systems with the largest operating expenses per capita
Since this is a news service creating this database, it must be there to support news stories. I wonder if Gannett is choosing libraries as a story arc in 2008-9?
Stephen