Bringing a Nation Online: The Importance of Federal Leadership
Libraries Play Critical Role in Internet Access for Low Income Families

Ten percent of Internet users access the Internet at a public library. This proportion remained almost constant between August 2000 and September 2001. Reliance on Internet access at public libraries is more common among those with lower incomes than those with higher incomes. Just over 20% of Internet users with household family incomes of less than $15,000/year use public libraries. As household income rises, not only does the proportion of public library Internet users decline, but also the percentage of Internet users without alternative access points also declines. Among racial and ethnic groups, 12.7% of Whites, 19.4% of Blacks, and 16.0% of Hispanics using the Internet at libraries do not also access the Internet from home, work or school. Only 6.6% of Asian American/Pacific Islanders who use the Internet at a public library do not have access to the Internet from some other location.

In sum, the data in the report makes clear that schools and libraries are helping to equalize the disparities that would otherwise exist in computer and Internet use among various household income categories and racial groups. The success in expanding access in schools and libraries has not however, solved the problem of home access that is addressed in detail in the following section of the report.

The increase in access at schools and libraries is largely attributable to federal programs like the E-rate, the Technology Innovation Challenge Fund, and state, and local investments. A number of reports have touted the success of these programs. In 2000, the US Department of Education released a study, E-rate and the Digital Divide which reported, "the E-rate is having the intended effect of supporting the development of Internet and telecommunications services, especially in poor areas...the programs' objectives are being met as application rates, and overall total funding, are higher for higher-poverty districts, schools and libraries."
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