Economic Value of Public Libraries
A project funded by Resource - The Council for Museums, Archives and Libraries, Nov. 1999-Nov. 2000
Project Team:
The team that carried out the research was:
| Project
Head Reseach Consultant Research Associate (full time) |
Dr
Anne Morris
John Sumsion Margaret Hawkins |
All members of the Team were based at the Department of Information Science, Loughborough University.
Funding
This research project was funded by the Libraries & Information Commission [now Resource] as part of their 'Value and Impact' call. The research timetable covered twelve months from November 1999. The research sets out to explore and describe public library features from the economic standpoint and is intended to supplement other projects looking at the social, literacy and educational dimensions.
Outline
The principal focus has been to describe and assess the value and economic benefits (to the user) of public libraries, but ways in which economic theory can usefully be applied to management issues have also been examined. The contemporary setting for 'free v fee' arguments is addressed separately. While much of the theory is not original, the project aims to illuminate the issues through the mass of UK research data that has become available in recent years. In this respect the latest CIPFA PLUS Archive and data from Book Marketing Ltd. has been particularly helpful.
The issues identified covered in the research included:
-
the application of
economic concepts such as 'externalities', 'merit goods', 'income redistribution',
'consumer surplus', 'economies of scale'
- the use of public libraries by age and social grouping;
- economic features in the history of libraries;
- book buying and book borrowing habits;
- public library use at various stages of life;
- the use of business and other information services;
- the comparative economics of audio-visual services;
- the use and value of services in different sizes of library;
- experience where charges have been introduced;
- cost features of public libraries;
- the value of recreational use.
The broad aim of the research was to stimulate debate and improvements in the public library service.
Answers to these questions depend heavily on assessments of benefits realised by users of library and information services. The questions can be answered from a political standpoint, from a social policy angle, and, perhaps, by analysing technological progress. They can also be tackled as an economics issue, and this is the principal focus of this research proposal. This is a deliberate attempt to apply analysis from another discipline.
The results in their simplest form: Borrowing books, the dominant use of the public library, allows the user to get the benefit at a fraction of what it would cost to buy the book, or to read books that would be too expensive to buy. This takes different forms for people according to their education, wealth, age, and personal interest. The result is a mixture of educational, informative, cultural and recreational benefit.
Other library uses, principally Information provision, have become increasingly important and popular. Much of the value of the public library lies in integrated provision of many services - some used regularly, some occasionally. The more such variety can be offered at the public library the greater the overall benefit. Value is particularly important where there is no realistic alternative available commercially
Publication of Results
The full report, running to 374 pages, is available from the Thesis Service, British Library Document Supply Centre, Boston Spa, Wetherby, LS23 7BQ:
Morris, A., M. Hawkins, & J. Sumsion, 2000. The economic value of public libraries. London: Resource (The Council for Museums, Archives and Libraries). ISBN: 1902394518
Journal articles covering different parts of the research are being prepared.
A shortened version of the Report is available for downloading here. Only the most important references are included, not the full set. For technical convenience this has been set out in three 'pdf' files whose contents are:
 123K |
Economic value of public libraries - Research in general |
1. Aims and Objectives
2. Methodology
3. Connection with Government Policy Initiatives
4. Economic Features
5. Statistics & Research on Use and Users
6. The Economic Perspective summarised
References
58K |
Economic value of public libraries - Specific research undertaken |
7. Survey: User perceptions
of value
8. Optimisation Model
9. Stock on Loan Model
10. Benefits Generated Model & calculations
11. Estimated Total Value of public library Benefits
12 . New performance indicators for book lending
51K |
Economic value of public libraries - Contents of Full Report listed and summarised |
Contacts:
Dr Anne Morris
Reader in Information Processing
a.morris@lboro.ac.uk
Department of Information
Science
Loughborough University
Loughborough Leics LE11 3TU