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USA - 2007
Proving the Value of Public Libraries
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An impact study funded by Alcoa Foundation generated economic and other data that helped Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh demonstrate to funders and stakeholders the real value the organization brings to the local community.
For many nonprofits, measuring the impact of their work is a dual-edged sword—the results could help them with fundraising, but the study itself could be costly.
"Everybody loves Carnegie Library, but most people just assume it will be here forever," said Barbara Mistick, director of the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh. "We know that the library is very dependent on funding from governmental and other taxing bodies, and this funding is, in fact, always at risk. Through the impact study, we wanted to prove our value and also get the community to understand the precariousness of our future."
The economic impact study, funded through a US$20,000 Alcoa Foundation grant and completed in April 2006, revealed the following key findings:
- The library is the area's most visited regional asset, with the main branch being the second most visited destination in Pittsburgh.
- Annually, the library generates a return of more than US$91 million in combined economic output and customer value, and it sustains more than 700 jobs.
- For every dollar provided by local government, the library provides more than US$6 worth of benefits.
- Around 70% of city residents between the ages of 13 and 36 have a library card, refuting a commonly held belief that the library serves an older population.
"With the study in hand, we talked with the editorial board of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, which wrote a great editorial that called on the government not to compromise funding for libraries," said Mistick. "We also used the study to have a conversation with the governor of Pennsylvania to seek support to renovate our 19 branches. He was able to see the library in a way he hadn't before in terms of economic return, number of jobs, and impact in the community. Because of this, we received a US$7.5 million state grant."
Impressed with the study, the Pennsylvania government decided to conduct its own state-wide study on the economic impact of public libraries. In addition, the Urban Libraries Council conducted a national study—Making Cities Stronger: Public Library Contributions to Local Economic Development—that was funded by the Gates Foundation.
"Our study has really been fantastic for us," said Mistick. "It enabled us to engage our public officials in the value of the library and to explain the role we have in the region's economic vitality. It also ballooned into two other studies that prove the worth of libraries. The Alcoa Foundation grant was the impetus to making all this happen."
View the complete Carnegie Library economic impact study online
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