Support Your Public Library

16Apr11

Public libraries are like mom and apple pie. They are a good thing and a concept we all hold dear. But what are the hard numbers about how people use the library or how much they support the public library? Over at the M Word blog, Kathy Dempsey posted on Archives.com’s infographic about exactly these issues. Not everyone is surfing the the net about health information, as 59% of library users are looking for medical or health information. The stats don’t surprise me as I was a bookshelver long ago. Also I worry for my own beloved Toronto Public Library as Mayor Rob Ford looks to ways to cut the budget by $57 million. On average the U.S. public library will be facing 62% projected budget cuts from its federal funding in 2011.

All this leads me to think as a user of public libraries and one who works in a special library, I can’t be complacent as I need to stand up and advocate for public library services, as a civic good building strong communities. If a strong public library exists in the community, the ensuing positive attitude can only bolster special libraries in the same area.

– Brenda Wong