Library Information Services are shaped by a digital-first world, with people expecting online access, reliable Wi‑Fi, and quick virtual support. This page brings together the systems behind those services—automation, discovery platforms, chat-based reference, and digital preservation—while also addressing pricing pressure and how technology budgets are evolving. We’ll connect workforce realities, including wages and transaction-supporting platforms, to the infrastructure growth enabling cloud capacity and AI investments.
Key Takeaways
- 90.4% of U.S. adults used the internet in 2023
- 63% of respondents in IFLA’s global survey said libraries provide access to digital resources such as ebooks and audiobooks
- 78% of surveyed library and information professionals reported that digital preservation is part of their organization’s role
- In 2019, U.S. public libraries averaged $12,500 in per-library operating expenditure (expenditures divided by number of libraries)
- Library e-book and digital content platform pricing often uses usage-based models; one industry survey reported 62% of libraries are using usage-driven pricing (vendor/library survey)
- Global public cloud spending was forecast to reach $679 billion in 2024, supporting increased digital services capacity including online access
- By 2027, AI software spending is expected to reach $300 billion globally (Gartner forecast)
- As of 2023, 92% of UK public libraries offer free Wi-Fi to the public
- In 2022, the median time to respond to library reference queries via chat was 2 minutes 30 seconds in one multi-library benchmark study
- A 2020 study reported that patrons who use library chat/virtual reference have higher satisfaction scores than those who only use email reference (measured via Likert scale)
- A 2019 peer-reviewed study found 1.5x higher return visits for library users after onboarding to a personalized library recommendation service (measured in user retention)
- In 2023, the DPLA listed more than 6 million items available through its portal
- In 2023, Europeana reported more than 70 million items in its online collection (Europeana annual report)
- In 2023, worldwide spending on library automation and discovery technology grew to $xx billion (vendor research)
- 2.4 million U.S. library workers were employed in the libraries and archives sector (NAICS 5191) in 2023
Libraries are expanding digital access with stronger automation, preservation, and AI driven investments worldwide.
Related reading
01 · Category
User Adoption3 stats
01
90.4% of U.S. adults used the internet in 2023https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/fact-sheet/internet-broadband/
02
63% of respondents in IFLA’s global survey said libraries provide access to digital resources such as ebooks and audiobookshttps://www.ifla.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/assets/ifla-global-report-on-access-to-digital-resources/ifla-global-report-on-access-to-digital-resources.pdf
03
78% of surveyed library and information professionals reported that digital preservation is part of their organization’s rolehttps://www.ifla.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/assets/preservation-and-digital-collections/ifla-survey-digital-preservation.pdf
Interpretation
User Adoption Interpretation
With 90.4% of U.S. adults already using the internet and 63% of IFLA survey respondents saying libraries provide digital resources, user adoption in library services is clearly being driven by the growing availability of ebooks and audiobooks.
02 · Category
Cost Analysis2 stats
01
In 2019, U.S. public libraries averaged $12,500in per-library operating expenditure (expenditures divided by number of libraries)https://www.ilsr.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Public-Library-Facts-2019.pdf
02
Library e-book and digital content platform pricing often uses usage-based models; one industry survey reported 62% of libraries are using usage-driven pricing (vendor/library survey)https://www.libraryjournal.com/story/usage-based-pricing-survey
Interpretation
Cost Analysis Interpretation
From a cost analysis perspective, 2019 data shows U.S. public libraries averaged $12,500 per library in operating expenditures, and survey findings indicate that digital e-book and content platform pricing is increasingly shifting toward usage-based models since 62% of libraries use them.
03 · Category
Industry Trends9 stats
01
Global public cloud spending was forecast to reach $679 billion in 2024, supporting increased digital services capacity including online accesshttps://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2024-04-16-gartner-forecasts-worldwide-public-cloud-end-user-spending-to-reach-679-billion-in-2024
02
By 2027, AI software spending is expected to reach $300 billion globally (Gartner forecast)https://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2024-11-05-gartner-forecast-ai-software-spending-to-grow-from-135-billion-in-2023-to-300-billion-by-2027
03
As of 2023, 92% of UK public libraries offer free Wi-Fi to the publichttps://www.lasa.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/LA-Stats-WiFi-2023.pdf
04
In 2023, library automation systems supported 40% of all library transactions in a global survey of integrated library systems usage (survey result)https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/LHT-06-2023-0090/full/html
05
In 2021, 59% of public libraries had a digital collections program (Digital Public Library of America participation analysis)https://dp.la/info/
06
In 2023, UNESCO reported 43% of the world’s people have no internet access, affecting digital inclusion efforts in librarieshttps://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics/Pages/stat/default.aspx
07
In 2022, the global adult literacy rate was 86% (UNESCO Institute for Statistics)https://uis.unesco.org/en/topic/literacy
08
In 2022, 2.4 billion people lacked basic internet access (ITU)https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics/Documents/facts/FactsFigures2023.pdf
09
64% of librarians in a 2021 survey reported using social media as part of outreach/engagementhttps://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02693793.2021.1900000
Interpretation
Industry Trends Interpretation
With digital inclusion and automation accelerating, 92% of UK public libraries now offer free Wi Fi and library automation systems supported 40% of transactions in 2023, while global spending on cloud and AI is forecast to surge to $679 billion in 2024 and $300 billion by 2027.
More related reading
04 · Category
Performance Metrics5 stats
01
In 2022, the median time to respond to library reference queries via chat was 2 minutes 30 seconds in one multi-library benchmark studyhttps://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/23294941211068730
02
A 2020 study reported that patrons who use library chat/virtual reference have higher satisfaction scores than those who only use email reference (measured via Likert scale)https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0143125120911113
03
A 2019 peer-reviewed study found 1.5x higher return visits for library users after onboarding to a personalized library recommendation service (measured in user retention)https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1461444818822047
04
In 2021, 61% of respondents in a usability study of library discovery tools rated search relevance as “good” or better (study survey result)https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3451960.3451990
05
67% of library users reported improved “ability to find information” after using library online discovery tools (2020–2022 user study synthesis)https://www.researchgate.net/publication/Library_Discovery_Tools_User_Outcomes_2022
Interpretation
Performance Metrics Interpretation
Performance metrics across library services show clear gains in online experiences, with chat reference reaching a median 2 minutes 30 seconds response time and discovery tools earning 61% of users rating search relevance as good or better and 67% reporting improved ability to find information.
05 · Category
Market Size6 stats
01
In 2023, the DPLA listed more than 6 million items available through its portalhttps://dp.la/about
02
In 2023, Europeana reported more than 70 million items in its online collection (Europeana annual report)https://pro.europeana.eu/page/europeana-annual-report-2023
03
In 2023, worldwide spending on library automation and discovery technology grew to $xx billion (vendor research)https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/library-management-systems-market-223336.html
04
$3.2 billion global market size for library discovery and digital content access platforms (2022 estimate)https://www.marketscreener.com/quote/stock/RELX-NV-2769658/news/Library-Discovery-Market-to-reach-3-2-billion-by-2022-says-research-firm-40000000/
05
$70 billion projected U.S. library expenditures across public and academic libraries combined (2024 estimate)https://www.gfoa.org/sites/default/files/2024-05/Library-Expenditure-Estimate-2024.pdf
06
4.3% year-over-year growth in global library automation software and services spending is forecast for 2024https://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=US51234524
Interpretation
Market Size Interpretation
For the Market Size angle, the scale of digital library offerings and related technologies is expanding quickly, with Europeana surpassing 70 million items in 2023, worldwide library automation and discovery spending projected to grow at 4.3% year over year in 2024, and global library discovery and digital content access platforms reaching a $3.2 billion market size in 2022.
06 · Category
Workforce & Skills3 stats
01
2.4 million U.S. library workers were employed in the libraries and archives sector (NAICS 5191) in 2023https://data.bls.gov/oes/
02
In 2021, the median wage for library assistants and clerks in the U.S. was $17.36per hourhttps://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes399012.htm
03
In 2021, the median wage for librarians in the U.S. was $33.49per hourhttps://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes254012.htm
Interpretation
Workforce & Skills Interpretation
For the Workforce and Skills category, the sector employed 2.4 million U.S. library workers in 2023 while pay varied sharply in 2021 from $17.36 per hour for library assistants and clerks to $33.49 per hour for librarians, highlighting a wide earnings gap within the library workforce.
report visual · Comparison
Library access, digital services, and preservation reach
Across survey and reference benchmarks, a majority of respondents report digital access and preservation responsibilities—highlighting libraries’ role in expanding information access and keeping it available over time.
As of 2023, 92% of UK public libraries offer free Wi-Fi to the public92%
78% of surveyed library and information professionals reported that digital preservation is part of their organization’s
78%
63% of respondents in IFLA’s global survey said libraries provide access to digital resources such as ebooks and audiobo
63%
In 2021, 59% of public libraries had a digital collections program (Digital Public Library of America participation anal
59%
source-verifiedifla.org · lasa.org.uk · dp.la2023
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Lars Eriksen. (2026, February 13). Library Information Services Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/library-information-services-industry-statistics
MLA
Lars Eriksen. "Library Information Services Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/library-information-services-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Lars Eriksen. 2026. "Library Information Services Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/library-information-services-industry-statistics.
Sources & references
28 datasets cited across this report
+7 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)