1377.0 - Measures of a Knowledge-based Economy and Society, Australia, 2003  
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Contents >> Information and Communications Technology Indicators >> Internet workstations available in public libraries and proportion of individuals (adults aged 18 years or over) accessing the Internet via public libraries

CHARACTERISTIC: ICT INFRASTRUCTURE AND ACCESS

INDICATOR: Internet workstations available in public libraries and proportion of individuals (adults aged 18 years or over) accessing the Internet via public libraries

The number of workstations available in public libraries increased nearly fourfold from June 1997 to June 2000. Notwithstanding this increase, between 1998 and 2000, the proportion of adults accessing the Internet from public libraries remained low compared to access from all sites.

INTERNET WORKSTATIONS AVAILABLE(a) IN PUBLIC LIBRARIES
June 1997
June 2000

Number of Internet workstations
827
3,005
Number of Internet workstations per location
0.5
2.0
(a) Internet workstations available for public use.
Sources: ABS Public Libraries, Australia, 1999–2000 (cat. no. 8561.0); ABS Libraries and Museums, Australia, 1996–1997 (cat. no. 8649.0).


ADULT ACCESS TO THE INTERNET BYSITE(a)
1998
1999
2000
Site of access
%
%
%

Public libraries
3
6
5
All sites
32
41
47
(a) Proportion of adults aged 18 years or over.
Source: ABS Household Use of Information Technology, Australia, 2000 (cat. no. 8146.0).


STATISTICAL NOTES

Data on Internet workstations are from ABS surveys of libraries conducted in respect of 1996–97 and 1999–2000.

Data on Internet access via public libraries are from the ABS Household Use of Information Technology Survey which was conducted as part of the ABS Population Survey Monitor until 2000. Information presented here is based on an average over the four quarterly surveys conducted in each year.

Later data on this topic will be available from the same publication (cat. no. 8146.0) but are collected via different survey vehicles (the 2001 Survey of Education, Training and Information Technology and the 2002 General Social Survey).

Indicator originally proposed in Framework
This indicator combines two indicators proposed in the ABS Discussion Paper Measuring a knowledge-based economy and society, An Australian Framework (cat. no. 1375.0). They are: Access to the Internet via public libraries, proportion of individuals accessing the Internet and Public libraries offering technology facilities. The latter has been slightly amended to refer to Internet workstations in public libraries.

Internet
A world-wide collection of computers which are linked together to form a repository of stored information and to provide a range of communication services. These services include, but are not limited to, the World Wide Web (WWW), email and extranet.



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