Weathering the Storm

As I was trolling other blogs that I try to keep up with, I found this inforgraphic that I felt the need to share.  It was very relevant to me, I just finished a summer course in Public Budgeting and Finance where I was required to write an 8 – 10 page paper on a budget topic…. somewhat daunting, but after many years in school I’ve realized that my best papers come out from a topic I’m passionate about – libraries.  so I wrote my paper about the economic value that public libraries have and actually focused on the library I currently work in.  Anyway, to get back on track this infographic has some startling, but not surprising statistics, I thought I would share.

You may not what to read all the information available, but it is interesting, such as 35% of Americans do not have high-speed Internet access at home and 62% of public libraries provide the only free Internet access in their community.  Think of those statistics… I live in a relatively affluent, suburban area, but there are plenty of people in the U.S. who live in more rural areas, or cannot afford Internet access at home – it is very expensive!

Unfortunately, in many states public library funds have been cut for the third year in a row, making it difficult for libraries to provide materials, programs, and technology to their community.  If you’re interested in learning how much money you save by using a public library, check out this personal value use calculator on the American Library Association’s website.