System Reference Center - March 2007

System Reference Center - March 2007

I have an interesting fact to update for Fremont CA's City Council! Today I heard Stephen Abram give a talk on the future of libraries. He quoted $6.50 as the return on every $1 invested in libraries calculated by a study done in Florida, 2004 - so we are going to have to give Commissioner Gaby a couple more dollars to wave around!

In September 2004, a comprehensive taxpayer ROI study on the impact of public libraries in Florida found (all figures US$):Overall, Florida's public libraries return $6.54 for every $1.00 invested from all sources. For every $6,448 spent on public libraries from public funding sources in Florida, one job is created. For every dollar of public support spent on public libraries in Florida, gross regional product increases by $9.08. For every dollar of public support spent on public libraries in Florida, income (wages) increases by $12.66.

Abram said the actual ratio was probably higher (likely around $20), but the study didn't consider soft "returns" only direct dollar measurables. ALA has a page of articles and studies related to Library ROI . You can read more about the ROI in: The value of libraries: Impact, normative data, and influencing funders. by Abram, Stephen . Scroll toward the bottom of the left side of the page to get to the stats.