Thank you to all the Texas public library directors and library staff who completed and submitted the 2020 Texas Public Library Annual Report! The statistics gathered provide the best picture of library service and funding, which is vital for stakeholders to know! Additionally, we are building a picture of how libraries handled the pandemic crisis which may inform the future.
Libraries meeting the minimum criteria for accreditation will receive formal accreditation letters by email by the end of September. Accredited libraries have access to statewide interlibrary loan (ILL), the federal telecommunications discount program E-rate, TexShare Database and TexShare Card programs, and any funding opportunities through this agency. Any library submitting an Annual Report will be able to order Summer Reading Program materials at no cost. Smaller libraries of less than 100,000 users submitting a report also have access to E-Read Texas, a statewide e-book platform.
Reports are locked, and the data is publicly available on our website. The collected statistics from all libraries are available in downloadable Excel files.
Individual Library Statistics and Comparison Charts for 2020. This workbook/tool has a total of 55 charts so a library can view individual library information, its status compared to its population group and to statewide averages. In addition, the library can be compared to up to five other libraries to create a customized report using vertical bar graphs.
All of the data collected in the 2020 Annual Report is published here: 2020-All. Local statistics dating back to 1996 are available on this webpage also. All can be downloaded into an Excel format.
Texas Public Library Five-Year Trend Charts. These Excel workbooks contain charts of a library’s activity for a variety of measures during 2015-2020.
Statewide data summaries and five-year trends have been published as well.
The 2020 information has been submitted to the national Public Library Survey (PLS). The 2020 data release is expected to happen in spring 2022. Data files for fiscal year 2019 were released earlier this summer.
For assistance in creating or customizing library statistical reports, please contact Library Data Coordinator Valicia Greenwood (vgreenwood@tsl.texas.gov).
