8 May 2000

You don't need to own a personal computer to be an internet whiz

800 000 Australians over the age of 18 years used the internet at their public library during 1999, an increase of 7.2 per cent over the previous year.

A further 1.2 million Australians used TAFE and other tertiary institutions to access the internet, an increase of 20 per cent.

Australia is leading the world with access to the internet in its libraries and education facilities. Access to the internet is one of the many services available at your local public library that will be highlighted during Australian Library Week, 15-21 May 2000.

Public libraries are now offering a diverse range of services including introduction to the internet, job search and vocational resources, audio books, reference collections, CD collections, newspapers and journals, inter-library loans, genealogy assistance, local history information, public interest programs, and children's story-times.

The library is Australia's second-most popular cultural venue. During 1999, 38 per cent of Australians visited a library, second only to visits to the cinema.

Libraries are heavily-used by part-time workers (53 per cent) and the unemployed (46 per cent). Single parents also had a high attendance rate at libraries (50 per cent) during 1999.

Around Australia, of those residents polled in the ABS survey, 50 per cent use their local library.

Source: ABS November 1999 Report; ABS December 1999 report