For more than 35 years, public libraries in U.S. states and territories have reported uniform annual statistics about their operations, finances and services in the annual Public Libraries Survey. (Libraries in Washington state have reported such statistics for more than a century.) Libraries model transparency and accountability to their communities, and use the statistics to compare and improve services. Researchers draw on years of survey statistics to show the role of public libraries in economic development, education and overall community well-being.
Federal funding supports Washington State Library staff (.25 FTE) who administer the survey, manage a vendor who provides the online collection instrument (approx. $6,500 annually), help libraries respond, and check data for accuracy. State and territorial libraries also work with each other, and the Institute of Museum and Library Services, to update and improve the survey annually.
See Washington public libraries statistics on the State Library's Publications page.