APL Seeks RFPs for Customer Service and Library Usage Study

Albany Public Library is gearing up for a comprehensive Customer Service and Library Usage Study and has issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) seeking project proposals from qualified vendors. APL’s Board of Trustees unanimously approved issuing the RFP at its October meeting. The RFP was officially issued Dec. 19 and project proposals are due Jan. 18. The full RFP can be viewed here [PDF].

Library leaders expect the Customer Service and Library Usage Study to yield important data and analysis that will help them make decisions about several critical projects.




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Two-Thirds of Americans Have a Library Card

Here's a new survey from Family Health showing the value of the library, as if you didn't know. Almost all Americans (92%) say they view their local library as an important education resource.

Three Quarters of those with a library card have used library in past year

(HealthNewsDigest.com) - ROCHESTER, N.Y. - September 22, 2008 - September is Library Card Sign-up Month, and two thirds (68%) of Americans currently own a library card. According to the results of a new nationwide Harris Poll of 2,710 U.S. adults surveyed online between August 11 and 17, 2008 by Harris Interactive®:

· Certain groups are more likely to have a library card then others - Echo Boomers (those between 18-31) are more likely to have one over other age categories (70% versus 68-65%); women over men (73% versus 62%); Hispanics over African Americans and Whites (72% versus 67% and 66%); Midwesterners (72%) and Westerners (71%) over Easterners (65%) and Southerners (63%);

· Politically there is also a difference as Democrats are more likely to have a library card over Republicans and Independents (71% versus 67% and 61%); and,

· Over one-third (35%) of people with a library card have used the library 1 to 5 times in the past year and 15 percent have used it more than 25 times in the past year.

Read more here.