The Value of California’s Public Libraries
Public libraries are one of the most cost-effective investments around.
The California State Library has collected studies and reports from around the world that show exactly how valuable an investment in libraries is.
Our Value of Libraries clearinghouse demonstrates how California’s public libraries deliver services that help individuals, families, and whole communities, and support lifelong learning, health and wellbeing, community development, and economic development.
Download our full report and value propositions, visit our top ten list of reasons to value libraries, and take a look at California public libraries by the numbers and photos of libraries in action to find out more.
The Value of California’s Public Libraries is a project of the California State Library. Research was conducted between January 2017 and December 2019. The project team used a bricolage approach—combining available resources to create an individualized and persuasive case—to create a public library value proposition that is grounded in data from a combination of sources, including extensive academic and professional literature, library usage data, survey data, and interviews with and written submissions from stakeholders, as well as direct observations.1
Project Team
- Natalie Cole, California State Library
- Cheryl Stenström, San Jose State University
-
- Jeremy Abbott
- Snowden Becker
- Meg DePriest
- Rachel Hanson
- Jane’a Johnson
- Shana Sojoyner
Project Advisors
- Jayanti Addleman, Hayward Public Library
- Chris Brown, Chicago Public Library (prev. Santa Clara County Library District)
- Susan Hildreth, Consultant
- Misty Jones, San Diego Public Library
- Danis Kreimeier, Napa County Library (ret.)
- Michael Lambert, San Francisco Public Library
- Lisa Lindsay, Fresno County Public Library
- Helen McAlary, City of Ontario
- Jody Meza, Orland Public Library and Willows Public Library
- Eva Mitnick, Los Angeles Public Library
- Michelle Perera, Pasadena Public Library
- Michael Perry, Siskiyou County Library
- Nancy Schram, Ventura County Library
- Sandra Tauler, Camarena Memorial Library (Calexico) (ret.)
- Hillary Theyer, Monterey County Free Libraries
- Derek Wolfgram, Redwood City Public Library
- Patty Wong, Santa Clara City Library
- Monique Le Conge Ziesenhenne, Palo Alto Public Library (ret.)
Project Partner
- Black Gold Cooperative Library System
Project Funder
The Value of Libraries project was paid for with California Library Services Act funding, administered by the California Library Services Board.
Our downloadable Value of Libraries value propositions illustrate the variety of ways California’s public libraries deliver value to their communities: