WHY WE NEED LIBRARIES

Talking Points

KEY MESSAGES:
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• Libraries are a place for education and self-help. Because they bring access to all, they bring opportunity to all.

• According to the most current data available from the National Center on Education and Statistics, Americans visit libraries almost 1.4 billion times and check out almost 2 billion per year.

• Libraries are America’s great information equalizers – the only place people of all ages and backgrounds can find and freely use such a diversity of resources, along with the expert guidance of librarians.

• Libraries are unique in that they offer lifelong learning – and welcome everyone from preschool age to well beyond retirement age.

• Libraries are part of the solution when a community is struggling economically. From free access to books and online resources for families to library business centers that help support entrepreneurship and retraining, libraries support lifelong learning.

• Many libraries nationwide design and offer programs tailored to meet local community economic needs, providing residents with guidance (including sessions with career advisers), training and workshops in resume writing and interviewing, job-search resources, and connections with outside agencies that offer training and job placement.

• Libraries don’t just offer the hardware, but we offer the expertise of librarians in helping teach people how to use the Internet and find the information they need quickly.

• While Google can give you 50,000 responses to your inquiry, your librarian can help you find the one answer you need.

LIBRARY USE

• Library use continues to climb. Sixty-three percent of adults in the U.S. have public library cards.

• Americans visit libraries almost 1.4 billion times and check out almost 2 billion items each year. Users turn to their libraries for free books, to borrow DVDs, to learn new computer skills, to conduct job searches and more.

• Americans go to school, public and academic libraries 50 percent more often than they go to the movies.

• Nationally, the average user takes out more than seven books a year . . . but users turn to their libraries for more than books: to borrow DVDs, to learn new computer skills, to conduct job searches, and to participate in the activities of local and community organizations.

• Nearly all Americans (96 percent) – even if they are not regular library visitors – agree that libraries play an important role in giving everyone a chance to succeed. They support our public education and lifelong learning.

TECHNOLOGY
• Two-thirds of libraries report they provide the only free access to computers and the Internet in their communities.

• Nearly 76 percent of public libraries report increased use of their public Internet computers in the past year – particularly to find employment and connect to online government services.

• There was a 23 percent increase in libraries providing assistance to patrons applying for or accessing e-government services, including tax forms, unemployment benefits and Medicare enrollment. Nearly 79 percent of libraries report this is the case; and two thirds of libraries report staff help patrons with completing government forms.

• The vast majority of public libraries support job seeking with specialized electronic resources, software and personal assistance from library staff.

• Libraries report a greater number of Internet computers available to the public – 14.2 on average per library branch, up from 11 a year ago.

• 82% of libraries, up from 76%, offer free wireless access.

• Close to one-quarter of libraries improved Internet connection speeds last year – often aided by E-rate discounts. Nearly 52 percent of libraries report connection speeds greater than 1.5 Mbps – roughly the bandwidth needed to watch a high-definition training video – compared to 44.5 percent last year.

• 90% of libraries offer formal classes or informal IT training to library patrons to help gain digital literacy and proficiency.

• A majority of states report cuts in state funding to public libraries and to the state library agencies that support libraries and statewide library programs;

• Almost 15 percent of libraries – or more than 2,400 locations – report operating hours decreased over the past fiscal year.

• Those most in danger of being left behind in the Information Age are most in need of assistance from library staff – using a mouse, establishing an email account, filling out government forms online, using new software and effectively navigating Internet resources.

*Source: 2010 ALA Public Library Funding and Technology Access Study

E-BOOKS & LIBRARIES

• The effect of e-books on libraries is only starting to come into focus.

• The ALA’s 2010 State of America’s Libraries Report states that E-books continue to emerge as a regular format offered by libraries of all types.

• **We know that the number of libraries that provide access to e-books has increased from 51.8 % in 2008, to 55.4 percent in 2009, up 3.6 percent.

• Library users continued to embrace e-books, especially those connected to the library e-collection and accessible via the PC or laptop they typically use.

• About 5,400 public libraries now offer e-books, as well as digitally downloadable audiobooks.

• Patterns of e-book use are still emerging, but libraries and trade and consumer book markets were still waiting for a user-friendly — and affordable — reader.

Internet Services Available in U.S. Public Libraries
from: Public Library Funding & Technology Access Study
ALA: www.ala.org/plinternetfunding

2007 2008 2009
E-books 38.3% 51.8% 55.4%

[Source: 2010 America’s State Library Report – Page 30 http://www.ala.org/ala/newspresscenter/mediapresscenter/americaslibraries/ALA_Report_2010-ATI001-NEW1.pdf ]

**[Source: PUBLIC LIBRARY FUNDING & TECHNOLOGY ACCESS STUDY ◗ 2008–2009, Page 24, [http://www.ala.org/ala/research/initiatives/plftas/2008_2009/librariesconnectcommunities3.pdf ]

LIBRARIES AND THE ECONOMY

• During times of economic downturn, libraries see more users.

• Libraries are part of the solution when a community is struggling economically. From free access to books and online resources for families to library business centers that help support entrepreneurship and retraining, libraries support lifelong learning.

• The nation’s economic strength depends on a financially literate populace capable of making important investment decisions.

• Libraries and librarians are uniquely positioned to provide quality, unbiased financial and investor education resources and programming.

• Achieving universal financial literacy is an urgent matter that requires effective partnerships and collective action.

• As more and more Americans look for employment, libraries are helping level the playing field for job seekers.

• Library staff reported that many patrons were turning to library computers and Internet access to find work, apply for jobs online, type resumes and cover letters and open email accounts.

• When the economy is down, library use is up. Unfortunately, at the same time, tight city and state budgets are closing library doors and reducing access when it’s needed most.

JOB-SEEKERS

• America’s libraries also are helping level the playing field for job seekers.
• In addition to free public access to computers and the Internet, U.S. public libraries support job-seekers with specialized databases and software, along with hands-on assistance from library staff to complete job applications, gain Web skills and explore career options.

• 88% of libraries provide free access to job databases and other job opportunity resources.

• 69% provide software and other resources to assist in creating resumes and other employment material – a number that jumps to 81% in urban libraries.

• For the first time this year, libraries report providing services to job-seekers is the most important Internet service they offer their communities, followed by providing access to government information and supporting K-12 education.

• The top challenge affecting libraries’ ability to help job seekers is a lack of adequate staff to effectively help patrons with their job-seeking needs; and

*Source: 2010 ALA Public Library Funding and Technology Access Study Report

LIBRARY FUNDING

• Libraries and librarians can’t live on love alone.

• At the same time demand for critical services has climbed, many state and local libraries are facing growing funding challenges.

• With the increased demand for library services and the cuts to funding on the state and local levels, fully funding the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) — the only annual source of federal funding to libraries — at $300 million is more important than ever. Libraries cannot continue to serve the needs of the public without this funding.

• Every service hour lost in our libraries translates into a million lost opportunities to connect people to distance education, unemployment benefits, and hands-on help.

• A majority (56.4 percent) of public libraries report flat or decreased operating budgets in FY2010, up from just over 40 percent in FY2009.

• More than one-quarter (26.6%) of libraries anticipated additional cuts in the current fiscal year (FY2010). This appears likely based on news reports since libraries responded to the national survey in fall 2009.

• About 62 percent of libraries anticipate flat or decreased operating budgets in FY2011.

• Twenty-four state library agencies reported cuts in state funding for public libraries between FY2009 and FY2010.

• Thirteen state libraries (28 percent) reported they were aware of public library closures in the past 12 months. Twelve states reported closures of five or fewer libraries; and one state (Indiana) reported more than five closures in the past year.

*Source: 2010 ALA Public Library Funding and Technology Access Study Report , ALA Washington Office.

Fast fact:
• Americans spend more than twice as much on candy as they do on public libraries. – Source: 2010 ALA Quotable Facts

ECONOMIC VALUE OF LIBRARIES

• Investing in libraries is an investment in education and lifelong learning.

• Libraries are among the most effective of all public services, serving more than 2/3 of the public with less than 2 percent of all tax dollars.

• Public libraries are a bargain. Nationally, the average cost to the taxpayer for access to this wide range of public-library resources is $33.56 a year, about the cost of one hardcover book.

Return on investment examples:
o Seattle, WA – Visits to the new public library have increased King County tourism. Increased tourism of one percent yields $1 billion in new economic activity statewide over 25 years.

o In South Carolina, the total direct and indirect return on investment for every $1 spent on the state’s public libraries by South Carolina state and local governments is $4.48 – nearly 350 percent.

LIBRARIES & LITERACY

• The ability to read is essential to leading a full and productive life.

• Library staffs are at work in the literacy trenches, taking books and effective programs directly into the lives of children, parents, grandparents, childcare providers, and educators.

• By motivating children to read, librarians create lifelong readers, and that makes for better citizens, and that makes for a healthier democracy.

• Without reading, everything in life is harder. Low literacy is linked to poverty, crime, dependence on government assistance, and poor health. And research has shown that parents who struggle with reading pass this legacy on to their children.

• Libraries support literacy education by providing teaching resources, space for tutoring, and information and referral services, or take a more active approach by offering literacy classes or one-on-one tutoring programs.

• Many libraries have outreach programs designed to meet the needs of specific groups of people with limited literacy skills, for example, people for whom English is a second language.