The State Library and Archives of Florida announces the publication of Taxpayer Return on Investment in Florida Public Libraries (2010), a research study assessing the taxpayer return on investment (ROI) in Florida’s public libraries. The study was completed by The Haas Center for Business Research and Economic Development at the University of West Florida and provides an update to the original 2004 study.

2010 Study results are available at http://dlis.dos.state.fl.us/bld/roi/.

Key Findings of the 2010 Study:

• Florida’s public libraries return $8.32 for every $1.00 invested from all sources.
• For every $3,491 spent on public libraries from public funding sources in Florida, one job (in the economy, not just in libraries) is created.
• For every dollar of public support spent on public libraries in Florida, Gross Regional Product (the value of all goods and services produced in the state) increases by $10.57.
• For every dollar of public support spent on public libraries in Florida, income (wages) increases by $22.97.

The study provides an analysis of return on investment at the state level as well as estimates for individual Florida counties. While the ROI figures vary widely from county to county, they demonstrate how even a small investment yields an extremely high value to the community.

Libraries Provide Essential Services:

• Public libraries help people learn new things no matter their age.
• Public libraries improve a community by helping people learn new skills so they can get better jobs.
• Public libraries attract good businesses to the area.

Social value questions were also posed to library users in the study survey. Findings include:

• Library users perceive their local public library as an essential service.
• Over half of library users believe a public library close to their home increases property value.
• Library users prefer a public library on their street compared to other facilities such as a police station, an elementary school, a job center, etc.

The study concludes Florida public libraries offer both perceived and real value to Florida’s citizens.

E-mail Loretta Flowers at lflowers (at) dos.state.fl.us with your questions or comments.