Serving Maps of Public Library Customer Data over the Internet (www.geolib.org/PLGDB.cfm)
| Published date | 01 January 2005 |
| Pages | 23-26 |
| Date | 01 January 2005 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/07419050510588269 |
| Author | Christine M. Koontz |
| Subject Matter | Library & information science |
Serving Maps of Public Library Customer Data
over the Internet
(www.geolib.org/PLGDB.cfm)
Christine M. Koontz
LIBRARY HITECH NEWS Number 1 2005, pp. 23-26, #Emerald Group Publishing Limited, 0741-9058, DOI 10.1108/07419050510588269 23
Even people without computers can go to
a library and make use of a vast array of
databases from around the globe ± Jack
Dangermond, Founder and President
ESRI, world's largest producer of GIS
(geographicinformation system software).
Background
There is no doubt public libraries are
the collectors, organizers and purveyors
of information, geographical and text,
digital and print. As the speaker above
suggests, public libraries are exalted in
the current digital galaxy, and looked to
as the premiere information source for
any topic. The irony lies in the fact that
some of the critical information
collected for customers is also
beneficial for better management
practices within libraries, yet these data
are often overlooked. This type of data
includes: US Census data describing
America's ever changing populations;
local planning data which libraries
often house; and local library use data
providing insight into a community's
life and information needs (Koontz et
al., in press).
This type of planning data is critical
for public librarians who strive to
develop services and programs that
meet the specific information needs of
the community. The dearth of such
decision making data was in part the
reasoning behind the development of
the Public Library Geographic
Database (PLGDB) (www.geolib.org/
PLGDB.cfm). This is a desktop tool (no
fees, no subscription charges) designed
to facilitate decision making processes
for not only public librarians, but
policymakers and researchers as well.
This article reviews the database's
evolution and design, contents, how-to-
use-it, and discusses its future, i.e.
sustainability.
Evolution of PLGDB
Before the PLGDB was developed, a
nationwide inventory of public library
outlets and administrative entities
existed for several years through the
Federal-State Cooperative System
(FSCS) and the National Center for
Education Statistics, US Department
(NCES/U.S.DOE). The inventory was
not maintained in a GIS environment
nor was the inventory accurate.
In 2001, the National Commission of
Library and Information Science
(NCLIS) and NCES/U.S. DOE
contracted with the GeoLib Program of
Florida State University to develop a
geographically accurate digital base
map for all of the 1999 FSCS public
library entities (these correspond to
public library systems, approximately
9,000 throughout the USA) and public
library outlets (these correspond to
public library branches, approximately
16,000, not counting bookmobiles).
The digital public library base map was
finished in May of 2002 (Jue and
Koontz, 2002).
A digital map of public library
locations without linked datasets is
limited in and of itself. It was for this
reason that the GeoLib Program, in
partnership with the School of
Information Studies, Information Use
Policy and Management Institute,
applied for and received an IMLS grant
in October of 2002 to develop the
PLGDB (Koontz et al., 2002).
What information is in the PLGDB?
In the current version, there are two
key nationwide data sets in addition to
the base map of primarily library
branches and central facilities. One
describes library customers, and the
other what they use.
Customer characteristics
One is the US Census 2000 data
set[1]. For further information and
metadataabout the US Censusdata, go to
the US Bureau of the Census web page
(www.census.gov). While many
librarians can access 2000 census data,
the PLGDB offers pre-selected census
variables based on research (Koontz,
1997) that describe people who may
actually use or potentially use the library.
The broad categories include gender and
age, education, income, race and
ethnicity, number of children under18 in
a household, languages spoken at home,
and number of vehicles. Most of these
US census data definitions are reviewed
and explained within glossaries
appended to the database as well as in
previousarticles (Koontz,2003b, c).
Library location and use data
The other key data set is annual
library use data for public library
systems collected by the Federal State
Cooperative System (FSCS) of the
National Center for Education Statistics
(NCES), US DOE. These library data
are linked to the digital base map of
approximately 9,000 library systems
throughout the USA. The library
addresses, estimated at 16,000 when
including branch libraries, are also
derived from the 1999 FSCS Public
Library Survey data files. See the
NCES web site for more information
about FSCS (http://nces.ed.gov). The
library locations were geocoded. This is
a process used for mapping which
assigns a latitude and longitude location
to each library based on their address.
The original locations were based on
1998 address data and are currently
being updated to the 2002 level. If a
library has moved or closed or if a new
library has opened, then that
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