The feature article in our Summer issue, "Libraries at the Heart of Our Communities," reports on the increasingly important role public libraries are playing in our cities and towns, and focuses on how libraries can strengthen downtowns and main street districts.
The Brattleboro (Vermont) Reformer newspaper picked up on our article, and published an excellent editorial, "Strong libraries, strong downtowns," on the value libraries bring to communities. Take a look at their editorial (pdf format). Have you contacted your newspaper's editorial board about the benefits of having strong libraries?
Online Publications:
Making Cities Stronger: Public Library Contributions to Local Economic Development, prepared by the Urban Libraries Council. This report should be very helpful to anyone needing to make the case why libraries are important economic assets for our cities and neighborhoods. It also discusses how libraries are now fitting into a wide range of settings, from mixed-use developments to malls.
The Engaged Library: Chicago Stories of Community Building. Also prepared by the Urban Libraries Council, this report tells how community libraries have helped strengthen several Chicago neighborhoods, while also generating more activity for nearby commercial areas. The report also discusses the changing role that neighborhood libraries are playing.
To learn about other creative ways in which libraries can engage with their community, see the Project for Public Spaces' Libraries That Matter.
For an informative economic impact assessment of one library (albeit a major one), download The Seattle Public Library Central Library: Economic Benefits Assessment (prepared for the City of Seattle Office of Economic Development and The Seattle Public Library Foundation by Berk & Associates, July 2005).
For a broader view of the economic value libraries can bring, see Benefits and Impacts from Public Libraries in the State of Florida, a detailed report prepared in 2000 by the Florida State University Information Use Management and Policy Institute (note: this is a large pdf file).
Noted architect and writer Witold Rybczynski offers an online slide show titled, “How do you build a public library in the age of Google?” His main point: libraries are far from dead in today’s internet age.
Vartan Gregorian's speech, “Libraries as Acts of Civic Renewal,” provides valuable insights into the fundamental importance of libraries to our civic life and culture.
"Libraries and New Americans: The Indispensable Link” is a fascinating short article by national columnist Neil Peirce on the role public libraries are playing in integrating new immigrants into American life.
Articles Available to Order/Download:
Journalist Phil Langdon's “Public Buildings Keep Town Centers Alive,” focuses on how several communities have benefited by keeping post offices, libraries, and other municipal buildings in the center of town (from our Winter 2003 issue). Read excerpts from article / also available to order & download.
Edward T. McMahon's “Public Buildings Should Set the Standard,” discusses the importance of well-designed public buildings, including libraries, in our communities (from our Winter 2001 issue). Read excerpts from article / also available to order & download. McMahon is a senior fellow with the Urban Land Institute.
-- note: we are also offering a free download of the 6 page fold-out insert that accompanies McMahon's article; it includes striking postcard images (and accompanying text) of a number of public buildings.
Key Organizations:
The Public Library Association, part of the American Library Association, is the principal national organization serving public libraries.
The Urban Libraries Council focuses on the needs of public libraries in cities of over 100,000 population; see two of their excellent publications cited above.
Your Library: Keeping Your Community Connected
View this well-produced, 8-minute video highlighting the benefits that libraries can bring to communities, with stops in Sutter County, California; Chicago, Illinois; and Memphis, Tennessee. Prepared by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Aware of Other Useful Resources?
Let us know about them. Email information to us at: pcjoffice@gmail.com
