WebJunction

Gary Price is right on again as usual. Can you imagine the scenario:

Librarian: I think you'll find the answer in this book.
Patron: Why thank you!
Librarian: This reference interview was brought to you by the people at [insert name here].

Talk about showing our worth and demonstrating impact! This from OCLC today:

South Carolina public libraries pump $347 million into the state’s economy

A recently released study from the School of Library and Information Science at the University of South Carolina found that South Carolina’s public libraries:

* return $4.48 to the state’s economy for every $1 invested in them
* pump $347 million into the state's economy; the state spends approximately $77.5 million on public libraries
* provide $102 and $26 million annually in circulation and reference services, respectively
* bring nearly $5 million to the state from federal and private sources

The study involved surveying 3,689 general library users, 161 businesses, 298 job seekers and 172 personal investors to determine their perceived value of the library. Researchers placed a dollar value on library services, based on usage statistics from the State Library, to determine the economic benefit to the state.

See more at: <a href="http://www.libsci.sc.edu/SCEIS/home.htm">http://www.libsci.sc.edu/SCEIS/home.htm</a>

Max