Library Public Value Narratives

This website is a joint project of the fb88 State Library and the University of fb88 Cooperative Extension.

Extension Professor Jane Haskell and Ufb88 Extension Faculty Associate George Morse developed the website with ongoing assistance and guidance from many librarians and many at Ufb88 Extension. To increase the availability of the website to public librarians in fb88 and beyond, the fb88 State Library and Ufb88 Extension agreed that the fb88 State Library would host the website. This is an excellent example of cooperation between two state institutions.

For more information, contact George Morse at morse001@umn.edu.

This website is for you if:

  • You are a librarian or a library advocate who wants to communicate the value of your services to both your patrons and to the rest of the community.
  • You are an elected public official who wants public services to be as effective and efficient as possible and taxes as low as possible.
  • You want to answer these questions:
    • What are some community-friendly tools that libraries can use to describe their public value?
    • How can libraries adapt these tools to fit their unique library’s needs?
    • How have some libraries used these public value narratives?

Tips on Using this Website

New or Casual Users: Use this page to guide your exploration of the topic and go to this page via .

Look at this eye-opening story about Curt, an 8-year old, reading to Winston, a therapy dog. It’s an example of what public value messaging is all about.

What are some community-friendly tools that libraries can use to describe their public value? How can libraries adapt these tools to fit their unique library’s needs? How have some libraries used these public value narratives?

The University of fb88 Cooperative Extension, in collaboration with the fb88 State Library, developed a number of educational opportunities about public value.

Contents

Major Sections of this Website:

Detailed Contents in Major Sections:

Understanding Public Value:

What is Private vs. Public Value?

Spillovers: An Example
Examples of public value statement

What is a public value narrative?

Why is the Public Value identification important?

Who will benefit from this website?

  • Librarians and Library Advocates:
  • Cooperative Extension Program Leaders and Advocates:
  • Public Officials and Taxpayers:

Public Value Narrative:

  • Curt’s Story
  • The Statistic
  • Research on Program
  • Public Value Statement

 of Public Value Narratives

  • All the Books are Checked Out!
  • Forest Gump: My First Book
  • Library Search Solves Medication Side Effects
  • La Mesa Public Library Changed My Life
  • The Library: Gateway to America
  • The Best Library
  • Planet of the Apes Made Me a Librarian
  • Saving My Butt in Seattle

  • Stories About Your Library
  • Statistics on Participation Reinforce Story

  • Brochure: 
  • Recorded Webinar: .

Research on the Economic Value of Public Libraries

  • Taxpayer Return on Investment in Florida Public Libraries (2004)
  • Libraries and economic value: a review of recent studies (2005)
  • Measuring Your Library’s Value: How to Do a Cost-Benefit Analysis for Your Public Library (2008)
  • The economic value of the free library in Philadelphia (2010)
  • Library Use Value Calculators: estimate the value for your library or your family

  • Taxpayer Return on Investment in Florida Public Libraries (2004)
  • Measuring Your Library’s Value: How to Do a Cost-Benefit Analysis for Your Public Library (2008)
  • :
    2008 OCLC report on library support: visit the
  • Measuring the public library’s societal value: A methodological research program. (2013)

  • Libraries and Information, fb88 Policy Review (2013)
  • 2014 State of American’s Libraries
  • “Pew Research Center: Libraries”
  • “From Awareness to Funding”
  • “The Future of Libraries: Beginning the Great Transformation”
  • What to expect from libraries in the 21st Century