Hi, all -- U-M has a Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy ( https://closup.umich.edu/) that conducts regular surveys of local, state, and county officials. Thought you might find it interesting to poke around and get some insight about what officials are thinking about in our communities and beyond. Their flagship project is the Michigan Public Policy Survey. This quote (from page 11 of the latest report at https://closup.umich.edu/michigan-public-policy-survey/100/internet-presence...) jumped out at me for saying what we know many libraries have heard for the past few years. :) *Nearly half statewide believe going remote decreases overall quality of local government meetings ... * By jurisdiction type, county officials are by far the most enthusiastic about the impact of virtual meetings on citizen engagement, with a majority (58%) saying it somewhat or significantly increased citizen engagement, and just 9% saying it decreased. City officials are also more likely to say virtual meetings had a positive (47%) rather than negative (20%) impact on citizen attendance and engagement. Township and village officials are more likely to say their citizens’ engagement decreased as a result of virtual meetings. In terms of debate and discussion amongst board or council members, most local officials are substantially more negative about the impact of virtual meetings. Only 8% statewide say the quality of discussion increased when holding meetings via video or teleconference, compared to 43% who say the quality decreased. By region, over half (53%) of local leaders from the West Central part of the state say virtual meetings hurt the quality of their Board/ Council discussions. And by urban-rural status, leaders from fully urban jurisdictions (48%) are particularly likely to say Board/Council discussions were negatively impacted by virtual meetings. When assessing the overall impact of virtual meetings, 47% think the quality of their public meetings declined, while 41% say it did not change appreciably, and just 12% say it increased. Township officials report the most negative assessments (52%), compared with 33% of county officials, 39% of city and village officials. The report has a lot of information about government use of websites, what constituents use websites for, and issues related to broadband access. It likely will reinforce what you already know, but it's always handy to have someone other than the library saying it. :) Might also have some nuggets to illuminate how you strategize about your library's website, too. :) Kristin -- Kristin Fontichiaro University of Michigan School of Information 4427 North Quad 105 S. State St. Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1285 734.647.3593 Blog <http://fontichiaro.com/activelearning> | Book an Appointment (school year only) <https://www.google.com/calendar/selfsched?sstoken=UUFHX1E5cXRtYUVQfGRlZmF1bHR8YmY3NDdlYzA4ZDM2MjFmMzAzMDM2OTA3NGM3NjliMzQ> *Projects:* Michigan Makers <http://michiganmakers.si.umich.edu> | Making in Michigan Libraries <http://makinglibraries.si.umich.edu> Data Literacy in High School <http://dataliteracy.si.umich.edu> | Public Library Management MOOC <http://ai.umich.edu/portfolio/public-library-management/>