So, this is one of those kind of long, somewhat philisophical, almost political posts that connects two random thoughts knocking about in my brain. You've been warned! A few months ago, I read this article on the American Library Association web site by D.J. Hoek and it really struck a chord with me. In it, the author makes the point that when it comes to public library advocacy and education people tend to really emphasize the fact that services and materials at the library are FREE. When in fact....those services and materials and databases and tools are NOT free. They're paid for by taxes or grants or fund raising or tuition and fees. Now, libraries are free in the sense that there is some level of easy/open access, and most goods and services do not cost anything out of pocket. But the most true statement is that libraries offer their community and customers a good VALUE. In our county library system, for example, an out-of-county library card costs $30 per year, because that's what finance has estimated as the amount per year per taxpayer that goes to the library budget. $30. Dollars. Per. Year. What a value! Access to high speed internet (okay, so "high" is maybe a stretch some days), hundreds of thousands of books, expensive academic databases, genealogy databases, educational and entertainment programs, author events, a job seeking lab, and expert research or reader's advisory assistance -- all for $30 per year. And you know that out-of-print book that the library doesn't own? Or the $200 academic door-stopper that you don't want to buy? Even if the library doesn't carry it, we can request it from out-of-system libraries through Interlibrary Loan. That does cost $2 out-of-pocket for shipping costs...but still, $2 is a lot cheaper that what you can buy it for.
Valuable vs. Free
Valuable vs. Free
Valuable vs. Free
So, this is one of those kind of long, somewhat philisophical, almost political posts that connects two random thoughts knocking about in my brain. You've been warned! A few months ago, I read this article on the American Library Association web site by D.J. Hoek and it really struck a chord with me. In it, the author makes the point that when it comes to public library advocacy and education people tend to really emphasize the fact that services and materials at the library are FREE. When in fact....those services and materials and databases and tools are NOT free. They're paid for by taxes or grants or fund raising or tuition and fees. Now, libraries are free in the sense that there is some level of easy/open access, and most goods and services do not cost anything out of pocket. But the most true statement is that libraries offer their community and customers a good VALUE. In our county library system, for example, an out-of-county library card costs $30 per year, because that's what finance has estimated as the amount per year per taxpayer that goes to the library budget. $30. Dollars. Per. Year. What a value! Access to high speed internet (okay, so "high" is maybe a stretch some days), hundreds of thousands of books, expensive academic databases, genealogy databases, educational and entertainment programs, author events, a job seeking lab, and expert research or reader's advisory assistance -- all for $30 per year. And you know that out-of-print book that the library doesn't own? Or the $200 academic door-stopper that you don't want to buy? Even if the library doesn't carry it, we can request it from out-of-system libraries through Interlibrary Loan. That does cost $2 out-of-pocket for shipping costs...but still, $2 is a lot cheaper that what you can buy it for.
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