Communicating the Value of Libraries
Amber Bell
Emporia State University
LI805OR
Abstract
In the current times of economic downturn, it is important to be able to justify the expenses of a
library and advocate for the value of its presence in the community. There are many possible
approaches to describing the value of the library. Some approaches include quantitative methods
such as Cost/Benefit Analysis and personal value calculators. Other approaches consider the
value that users place on library, and seek to show how the library provides services that address
those values. As a librarian, it is essential to be able to use a variety of these approaches to
communicate the value of the library.
Communicating the Value of Libraries
There are many things in the world worth fighting for. The ability to go to the library to
use resources and check out books is one of those things. It is not enough just to love something.
If that thing is in danger of being lost, one must advocate for it. At this moment in time, libraries
run the risk of losing much needed funding. There was once a time that communities did not
question the need for libraries. In these times of budget cuts and unemployment, library costs
must be justified. For this reason, it is highly important for librarians to have the skills to
advocate for their library.
The American Library Association (ALA) has addressed this need to
communicate the value of libraries in their most recent strategic plan, ALA Ahead to 2010. One
of the first objectives listed is to “increase public awareness of the value and impact of libraries
of all types.” (ALA, 2005). Camila Alire, the current American Library Association president,
has tackled this objective with a presidential initiative titled “front-line library advocacy” (Alire,
2010) designed to train library staff from all types of libraries to be able to articulate the library’s
value to the broader community. The ALA website now provides materials to support this
initiative, providing resources for communicating with a wide range of audiences, from the
media to politicians (ALA, 2010). The ALA’s energy towards communicating value has spurred
research on the topic of valuation. Finding the right way to evaluate the worth of libraries,
however, can be difficult. How does one measure the importance of library resources and
services?
The Americans for Libraries Council published a substantial document that assesses
many existing library valuation studies, and makes recommendations for further action (Imholz
& Arns, 2007). These studies approach the issue of proving the economic worth of libraries
through quantitative methods. One of the recommendations mentioned by Imholz and Arns is to
“create a varied set of innovative tools” (2007, p. 36) for library advocacy, including complex
statistical studies as well as easy to understand, open-source calculators.
Some of the methods discussed by the report include Cost/Benefit Analysis, which
assigns a cost to all library materials and services then compares the total amount to the value of
that good or service to the community, Contingent Valuation, which creates value for social or
environmental organizations that are difficult to assign a price tag, and Secondary Economic
Impact Analysis, which places value on the indirect benefits of libraries.
The writers of the report agree that these quantitative methods are not enough- they must
be used in conjunction with public communication in order to be a fully effective advocacy tool.
They also agree that social benefits somehow need to be calculated and included in the advocacy
effort.
McMenemy (2007) cautions against simply using numbers to prove the worth of a
library. Not only can statistics such as circulation numbers inaccurately describe how library
services are truly being used, they fail to indicate the impact of those services on patrons. While
McMenemy’s answer is that libraries shouldn’t have to prove themselves in order to exist, the
current cultural and economic climate does not support that luxury.
Holt (2007) asserts that there are more efficient and inexpensive ways to prove a library’s
value than going through the process of doing an official Cost/Benefit Analysis (CBA). His list
of ways library employees can communicate the value of their libraries on a regular basis
include:
 Focus on the quality of services provided


Pay attention to library users in order to determine what users truly value about
library services
Communicate the value of services in ways that users can understand
Holt also offers a list of value perceptions of library users compiled from thousands of
CBA-survey comments. These perceived values include:
 Saving time
 Saving money
 Saving travel
 Providing materials they want
 Personal services from library staff
 Help with kids
 Computers to use
 Providing value from money spent on taxes
These values described by public library patrons are highly useful when attempting to
communicate the value of a library to stakeholders, as they provide an indication of what is
important to users. When advocating for the library, then, one could discuss the money saved by
not having to buy books that would only be used briefly, the value of the homework help
program for children, or the usefulness of being able to access the internet without owning a
computer.
The Big Country Library System (2010) in Texas is one of many that provide a library
value calculator for users to determine for themselves what the library is worth to them. This
type of tool can be eye opening for patrons when they discover that their yearly library use is
worth thousands of dollars. While this tool is a rather fun game to play, the value assigned to
each service may seem fairly arbitrary. Pecoraro (2009) addresses the many possible ways to
assign value to specific services. In the case of a book, for instance, he questions whether to use
full retail price, the price the library paid, the price to rent the book, or some formula of the
book’s value as a used item. In any case, it is most important that the assigned costs make sense
to the library patrons.
Eastman (2010) discusses her realization of the importance of communicating the value
of her own position in a corporate library, and the process of finding resources for
communicating that value. She used resources such as the Core Competencies of her profession,
the strategic plan of her firm, and the challenge from a librarian’s blog.
Ultimately, it is important not only to show that the library has value, but to be able to
communicate that value to stakeholders. After all, it is not enough to create quantifiable data
from social value. It is also essential to be able to communicate those ideas in a language that
one’s audience can make sense of.
Whatever method a librarian chooses to use on order to communicate the value of their
organization, it is important to keep one’s audience in mind. Describing the value of a public
library to a neighbor who is considering how to cast a vote on a library levy is going to require a
different approach than convincing the city council to keep the library branches open in the face
of budget cuts. The neighbor may find interest in one of the facts from the ALA advocacy
webpage. For instance, did you know that Americans spend more than twice as much on candy
than they do on public libraries? The city council, however, may need some spreadsheets with
quantifiable data in order to justify their budget allocations. A bigger challenge would be to
advocate for the library to a non-library user. In that case, it may be useful to bring up the
secondary economic impacts of the library (Imholz & Arns, 2007). One could discuss the
economic contributions library employees make to the community, the value of unemployed
people finding work through library computer services, or the eventual value of having
storytime-raised children eventually becoming well educated citizens.
As a librarian, it would be useful to keep several library advocacy tools in the toolbelt at
all times. It would be beneficial to have access to some Cost/Benefit Analysis figures for board
meetings. It would be a playful and encouraging device to have a library value calculator linked
to the library’s website. It would also be inspiring to have a well informed, positive response to
anyone who asks “what exactly is the library worth, anyway?”
References
American Library Association. (2005). ALA ahead to 2010. http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/
missionhistory/plan/adoptedstrategicplan.cfm. Retrieved November 19, 2010.
American Library Association. (2010). Advocacy fact sheets. http://www.ala.org/ala/
issuesadvocacy/advocacy/advocacyuniversity/advclearinghouse/factsheets.cfm. Retrieved
November 15, 2010.
Alire, C. (2010). Front-line advocacy. American Libraries, 41(3), 6.
Big Country Library System (2010). Value of library services. http://www.bclstx.org/
best-practices/value-of-services.xls/view. Retrieved November 18, 2010.
Eastman, C. (2010). Overcoming the curse of knowledge: Communicating the library’s
value. Information Outlook 14(1), 37-38.
Holt, G. (2007). Communicating the value of your libraries. The Bottom Line, 20(3), 119-124.
DOI:10.1108/08880450710825833
Imholz, S., & Arns, J. (2007). Worth their weight: An assessment of the evolving field of library
evaluation. Public Library Quarterly, 26(3/4), 31-48. DOI: 10.1300/J118v26n03_03
McMenemy, D. (2007). What is the true value of a public library? Library review, 56(4).
273-277.
Pecoraro, J. (2009). What's it worth? The value of library services as an advocacy tool.
Texas Library Journal, 85(1), 8-9.