"U.S. Public Library Geographic Database Tutorial"

The GeoLib Program of the Florida Resources and Environmental Analysis Center (FREAC) at The Florida State University was awarded a grant, through a 2002 Institute of Museum and Library Services National Leadership Grant for Libraries program in the Research & Demonstration category.

In this initial two-year demonstration project, Florida State University's GeoLib Program, within the Florida Resources and Environmental Analysis Center, partnering with FSU's Information Use Management and Policy Institute, developed a nationwide public library database system linked to a digital base map, that includes data sets from the US Census and the National Center for Educational Statistics. The database is providing consolidated information on public libraries nationwide, making it easily accessible over the Internet. In this third year, 2005, funding is being sought for development of help tools. Please click to the left in the submenu for a preliminary downloadable tutorial.

Christie Koontz, director, GeoLib Program is the principal investigator of the project, and co-PI is Dean K. Jue, associate director of GeoLib. "This IMLS project builds upon GeoLib's recently completed national digital map of public library addresses, and linking it with newly released and relevant US Census data--which best describes the people that America's 16,000 public libraries serve. The data allows public library researchers and managers to provide the best services and materials for diverse customer groups."

Partnering on the project are Charles R. McClure, Francis Eppes Professor and John Carlo Bertot, Associate Professor, who direct the Information Use Management and Policy Institute (www.ii.fsu.edu) at the School of Information Studies. McClure and Bertot will serve as co-PI's, on the study. McClure stated "the partnership with the GeoLib Program is an excellent opportunity for both the GeoLib Program and the Information Institute to leverage their past work in library statistics and databases for the benefit of the library community."

While national digital inventories of accurate locations and critical external information are available for major public agencies such as hospitals and emergency health care, fire, police and schools, no comparable national digital database for public libraries has existed. With the database developed through this project, public librarians and policy makers are better able to answer such questions as: is the library providing the right balance of library services in light of changing populations? How can public libraries bridge the digital divide through provision of equitable access to the Internet? What are the effects of poverty on library services? The answer to these and many other public-library based questions are best addressed by a nationwide database linked to a geographic information system (GIS) base map. A key ingredient to such a database system is the incorporation of a broad range of consistently acquired and developed data that are of relevance to public library decision and policy making. This project, spearheaded by Florida State University researchers, is a critical first step towards maintaining a database that makes public librarians equal players in having access to data that can shape local, regional and national library policies. The two maps accessible through the Internet depict the 1) national digital inventory of public library addresses, and 2) a view of US census data as it is calculated proximately to a library location. There are 16,662 public library location in the US.

An advisory committee continues to assist the research team in identifying relevant databases and guiding the project. Thus far the following groups and representatives have been identified: American Library Association, Denise Davis, Office of Research and Statistics; National Center for Education Statistics, Jeff Owings and Tai Phan, Library Statistics Program; Federal State Cooperative System, Public Library Data, Keith Curry Lance; Gates Global Library Foundation, Darren Hoerner; formerly of Commission on State Library Agencies (COSLA), Barratt Wilkins; Fresno County Free Public Library, Karen Bosch Cobb, Associate County Librarian; Public Library Association (PLA), Renee Blalock, Public Library Data Statistical Report Committee; and Mary L. Chute as the Institute of Museum and Library Services liaison.

For more information about GeoLib and its programs and to find out about the latest status of the public library database, check back on this website regularly.

For more information call: Christie Koontz, 850.644.2007 or e-mail her at ckoontz@admin.fsu.edu  

GeoLib
College of Communication & Information
School of Library & Information Studies
The Florida State University
Louis Shores Building (MC2100)
142 Collegiate Loop
PO Box 3062100
Tallahassee, FL 32306-2100
Phone: (850) 645-7145
Fax: (850) 644-9763
E-mail: CKoontz@cci.fsu.edu