Taxpayer Return on Investment in Florida Public Libraries Dr. José-Marie Griffiths October, 2004
Mar 26, 2015
Taxpayer Return on Investment in Florida Public LibrariesDr. José-Marie GriffithsOctober, 2004
Study Purpose
Identify:
– the economic contribution
– return on taxpayer investment
– of Florida’s public libraries
Background
• Literature review
• Environmental economists
• REMI
Methods• Took a conservative approach to estimating
benefits and returns thus the results can be considered a lower bound.
• The return-on-investment (ROI) and benefit to cost ratios (B/C) in this report are at least those reported.
MethodsUsed a variety of data collection and analytic
methods including – data reported to the state by the libraries
– a statewide household telephone survey of adults
– in-library user surveys of adults
– a follow-up survey of the libraries
– surveys of organizations
– an input-output econometric model
Household Interviews/In-Library Survey
Collected information about:– cost to use the library
– services used
– reasons for using the services
– importance of the services; ways the services were important
– what visitors would do to obtain the needed information if there were no public library
– likely cost in time and money to use the alternatives
Organization Survey
Determined:– use of public library services– cost to use these services– savings resulting from service use
Follow-up SurveyObtained some information about:
– use by tourists and school age children
– interlibrary lending and borrowing
– expenditures and income
– business-like operations run by the library, outside persons or vendors.
Results
Florida’s Public Libraries Return $6.54 for every $1.00 Invested
Revenue Investment
Total Investment
Economic Return: $2.93 Billion
Economic Returns ResultingFrom Florida's Public Libraries
(total $2.93 billion)
80%Added cost to usealternatives
15%Lost direct communityeconomic benefits
5%Lost direct user
economic benefits
+
New Jobs — 1 for every $6,448
Florida’s Public Libraries Increase GRP
Florida Public Libraries Increase Income in the State
$1.00
$12.66
$0.00
$2.00
$4.00
$6.00
$8.00
$10.00
$12.00
$14.00
Publicsupport tolibraries
Floridaincomeincrease
Income Increases from Public Support of Florida Public
Libraries
Florida’s Public Libraries are Extensively Used —
94 million In Person and Remote Visits
68 million in-person visits
25.2 million remote Internet connections (not including children or tourists)
Florida’s Public Libraries are Used by 11.8 Million People Annually
Florida’s Public Libraries are Used by All Segments
of the PopulationFlorida Public Library Usersby Gender (total: 8.4 million,
excludes tourists)
70%
30%
Males
Examples:
14%
86%
HispanicNon-Hispanic
Florida Public Library Users byEthnicity
(total: 6.7 million adults, excludes tourists)26%
25%21%
22%
6%
Under $30,000$30,000 - $50,000$50,000 - $75,000$75,000 - $150,000More than $150,000
Florida Adult Library Users byAnnual Household Income
(total: 6.7 million adults)
What Do People Do When They Visit the Library?
What Do People Do When They Visit the Library?
Checking Out/Borrowing Materials from the Libraryby Adult Florida Residents
(29.8 million uses)
73%
17%Videos, etc.
10%CDs, etc.
Books
What Do People Do When They Visit the Library?
What Do People Do When They Visit the Library?
Use of Reference Services byAdult Florida Residents
(25.2 million uses)
40%Use referencematerials in thelibrary
38%Ask librarianfor help
22%Ask librarian toconduct search
What Do People Do When They Use Public Libraries Through Remote
Internet Connections?
1%
4%
7%
9%
11%
14%
18%
36%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40%
Ordered a photocopy
Online reference via e-mail
Viewed or downloaded e-books
“Ask a Librarian” service
Viewed or downloaded article
Searched online database
Reserved a book
Searched online catalog
Remote Internet Usesof Florida’s Public Libraries
(total: 25.2 million)
People Use Public Libraries for Many Purposes
Purpose of Use of Public Libraries by Adults(Total: 59.9 million uses)
32%
27%
24%
17%
RecreationalPersonalEducationalWork-related
Recreational Uses
•total of 19.2 million uses
• 65 percent were in-person visits
• 35 percent were remote Internet connections to the libraries.
•In 59 percent of the visits, the users had something specific in mind.
Personal Uses
3%
4%
5%
5%
5%
10%
12%
17%
17%
22%Other
0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25%
Occasional problem
Learn about culture, religion, etc.
Job hunting
Day-to-day needs, e.g., shopping
Correspond with friends
News
Personal finances
Health and wellness
Hobby or work around the home
Percentage of Uses of Florida Libraries forPersonal Information Needs
Educational Uses
78%
22%
As studentsAs teachers
Educational Uses of Public Librariesby Florida Adults
(total: 16.0 million uses)
Work-Related Uses
Types of Work-Related Uses of Public Libraries(Total: 6.2 million uses)
42%
31%
25%18%
12%
10%
8%7%6% 10%
Research
Start or locate abusinessManagementMarketing/sales
Operations
Legal
Financial
Locate a person
Tax
Other
Public Libraries are Rated Important for All Purposes of Use
3.62
3.77
4.35
4.27
0 1 2 3 4 5
Recreational
Personal
Educational
Work-related
Average Rating of Importance of Public Librariesby Type of Need/Use
(1= Not Important; 5 = Very Important)
Direct Benefits: $6.0 Billion/year
Total Economic Benefit ofFlorida’s Public Libraries to Individualsby Purpose of Use and to Communities
(total: $6.0 billion)
14%
32%
26%
2%
26%
Work-related
Education
Personal
Recreation
Communities
$2.1 Billion to the Workplace
Public Library Direct Economic Contribution tothe Workplace (total: $2.1 billion)
39%
24%
37%Monetary savings from nothaving to use alternatives(net benefit of $835million)Use of the resources andservices provided by thelibrary (use benefit of $514million)Financial flows to Floridabusinesses (flow benefit of$784 million)
$2.1 Billion Per Year to Education
Public Library Direct Economic Contributionto Education
(total: $2.1 billion)
52%48%
Use of libraryresources/servicesNet benefit fromexistence oflibrary
$1.6 Billion per Year to Personal Information Needs
Public LibraryDirect Economic Contributionto Personal Information Needs
(Total: $1.6 billion)
51%49%
UsebenefitNetbenefit
$136,000 per Year to Recreational Needs
9%
14%
16%
20%
20%
21%
0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25%
Prompted newway of thinking
Helped learnsomething new
Led to othersources
Inspired
Encouragedfurther reading
Broadenedperspective
Direct Use Benefits of PublicLibraries for Recreational Needs
(Total: 19.2 million uses per year)
Direct Benefits: $6.0 Billion/year
Total Economic Benefit ofFlorida’s Public Libraries to Individualsby Purpose of Use and to Communities
(total: $6.0 billion)
14%
32%
26%
2%
26%
Work-related
Education
Personal
Recreation
Communities
Benefit/Cost Ratios
• The B/C (Availability) of Florida’s public libraries is 5.2 to 1.
– $2,331.922 million ÷ $448.903 million = 5.2• The benefit (B) to the state (in terms of availability
of Florida’s public libraries) is $2.3 billion, measured as the total cost to use alternatives, if the public libraries did not exist. The cost (C) is $449 million.
Benefit/Cost Ratios
• The B/C (Use) of Florida’s public libraries is 7.2 to 1.
– $3,211.219 million ÷ $448.903 million = 7.2• The benefit (B) to the state (in terms of time and
money saved through use of Florida’s public libraries) is $3.2 billion. The cost (C) is $449 million.
B/C REMI
• The B/CREMI (Wages) is 5.0 to 1
– The benefit (B) to the state (in terms of wages) is $9.2 billion. The cost (C) is $1.83 billion.
• The B/CREMI (GRP) is 3.7 to 1
– The benefit to the state (in terms of GRP or output) is $6.7 billion. The cost (C) is $1.83 billion.
Florida’s Public Libraries Return $6.54 for every $1.00 Invested
Dr. José-Marie Griffiths
Dean, School of Information and Library Science
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Email: [email protected]
Web: http://ils.unc.edu/sils/
Phone: (919) 962-8368