The Value of California’s Public Libraries

The Value of California’s Public Libraries

CA State Library

The California State Library is exploring and demonstrating the value that public libraries provide to their communities and the people who invest in them through a project titled Measuring the Value of California's Public Libraries. The project began in January 2017 and continues until June 2019.

LIBRARIES IMPROVE THE BOTTOM LINE

During the first phase of the project, we identified approximately 60 resources that demonstrate the financial return of funds provided to public libraries. The resources we identified were selected for their relevance to California and they include studies conducted in California, studies of national and international significance, statewide studies from outside California, and studies using notable methodologies.

Like other meta reviews, our resources demonstrate that investment in public libraries is a sound use of public funds: for every dollar invested in libraries, about $2-$10 are returned, with an average of between $3 and $6. The solid findings of high financial returns reinforce that governments and other financial investors can continue to trust public library leaders as good stewards of public money.

The selected resources are available below and we invite users to consult individual items or pull the resources together as a whole and use them in the way that is best suited to their own context.

THE MANY DIMENSIONS OF VALUE PROVIDED BY LIBRARIES

While the return on investment numbers we discovered are compelling, they are but one piece of a larger picture. A more complex approach to looking at libraries' value considers many dimensions of value including user satisfaction and social impact as well as economic impact.

In the second phase of the project, we identified a further 46 resources that demonstrate the different types of value that libraries provide. Within this category, definitions of value fall into a few broad categories, including

◆the social value to vulnerable populations (e.g., persons experiencing homelessness, those recently arrived in a new country and who are facing cultural and linguistic barriers);

◆personal economic development for users (e.g., job search, resume writing, small business development, etc.);

◆the value of services provided by libraries during times of crisis response and how they contribute to community resilience;

◆the opportunity for users to enhance their personal learning and knowledge development; and

◆the development of social capital in communities.

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