Measuring Your Library's Value

Under pressure to quantify the benefits your library provides? Is a cost-benefit analysis right for your institution? With tax-funded organizations under microscopic scrutiny, library directors need to make a strong public case for the value their library provides.

Measuring Your Library's Value, designed to serve large to medium sized public libraries, gives librarians the tools to conduct a defensible and credible cost-benefit analysis (CBA). This hands-on reference covers the economic basics with librarian-friendly terms and examples, preparing library leaders to collaborate with economist-consultants. Library directors and trustees:

# Reflect whether a CBA is the way to go -- using checklists addressing the pros and cons
# Gain confidence to customize the process by viewing survey design elements step-by-step
# Learn how to calculate the value a community receives from library services
# Access proven examples for communicating what different community stakeholders need to hear

Authored by members of the team that developed, tested, and perfected this methodology for over a decade, Measuring Your Library's Value is based on research funded by IMLS and PLA. Now you can credibly measure the dollars and cents value your library provides to your community.