Illinois Public Library Internet Survey

As part of the 2019 Rebuild Illinois infrastructure program, $400 million has been dedicated to internet broadband expansion with $20 million appropriated to upgrade the broadband networks of community anchor institutions which includes public libraries. The purpose of this survey is to identify current internet speeds and other technology at all public library buildings to create a base understanding of what speeds are available at Illinois public libraries as community anchor institutions for public internet access.

The Illinois Public Library Internet Survey is a one-time survey that will need to be completed by every public library location. The survey requires device testing in each physical location at multiple times throughout the day so libraries with multiple building locations will need to complete a survey for each location. It is not expected that each library location will have every device or service listed in this survey, but as these technologies may affect internet speeds, we need to know what technology is being used where.

The development of this survey came from a collaborative effort by technical staff from Illinois regional library systems, the Illinois State Library, the Illinois Secretary of State Office and with guidance from the library stakeholder representatives who serve on the Illinois Broadband Advisory Council.