The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) has updated its Public Libraries in the United States Survey (PLS) search and compare tools with FY 2011 unimputed data. The survey collects descriptive statistics annually from more than 9,000 public libraries in the US.
The search tool helps users find public libraries based on name, location, or Federal-State Cooperative System (FSCS) ID and includes filtering by such characteristics as central library, branch library, bookmobile, or books-by-mail. The compare tool allows users to compare a particular library with similar libraries in its peer group. For example, a user may compare one library’s total circulation with the total circulation of a group of libraries with similar total expenditures. The data files and documentation for the FY 2011 PLS data are scheduled to be released in late June.
