From Awareness to Funding Voter Perceptions and Support of Public Libraries in 2018

OCLC has partnered with the American Library Association (ALA) and its Public Library Association (PLA) division to investigate current perceptions and support among US voters and how they may have shifted since 2008 when OCLC published From Awareness to Funding: A Study of Library Support in America, a national study of the awareness, attitudes, and underlying motivations among US voters for supporting library funding.

Explore this site for findings, a report on the survey results and comparison to 2008, and resources and tools libraries can use to strengthen support for public libraries.

Read the report

Includes key new findings from the 2018 survey and comparison with 2008 results, new details on super supporters and probable supporter voter segments, analysis of cultural shifts, and recommendations for next steps.

Download the report

View the infographic

An illustrated snapshot of overall use, perceptions, and support for public libraries among US voters in 2018.

Download the infographic

Download 8.5 x 11-inch letter version

Download 11 x 25.5-inch press-ready version

Events

Webinar

Voter Perceptions of Libraries: Getting From Awareness to Funding in 2018

Watch this free WebJunction webinar recording presenting the results of a new study investigating voter perceptions and support for public libraries, with comparisons to similar research conducted 10 years ago.

View the recording