Information Innovation Exchange

Neighborhood branch libraries in Trenton, New Jersey, have been granted a reprieve allowing them to remain open at least through the end of next year, library officials announced November 10. The branches will stay in operation partly by shifting staff from the main library and limiting hours there, thanks to an agreement with State Librarian Norma E. Blake, library director Kimberly M. Bray said.

Read the full article here

Share This

Haverhill (Mass.) Public Library Assistant Director Susan Katzenstein said the library is usually “an incredibly busy place.” But nowadays, “our usage is through the roof.” The Haverhill library is not alone. Across the region, local public libraries are reporting a surge in use, a trend officials tie directly to the economic hardship many are facing

Read the full article here

Share This

Margaret Hodge, the Culture Secretary of the United Kingdom, on Thursday issued a tough challenge to the Association of London Chief Librarians, asserting that new programs like web-based lending with home delivery and libraries in shopping centers and train stations are necessary to revive public interest. Though overall library spending is up 17% over the last ten years, the number of books borrowed is down by 34%, she said: “I know you’ll plead resources, but I don’t think that’s the real reason for the decline. In my view the offer from libraries needs to be different

Read the full article here

Share This

Continuing a seven-year partnership with ALA’s Campaign for America’s Libraries that has generated millions of dollars worth of editorial coverage on behalf of libraries, four entrepreneurs share their stories of how they started businesses using the library in Woman’s Day magazine’s March issue.

Read the full article here

Share This

On the face of it, the libraries that reported back to us in the annual Library Journal Budget Survey are doing reasonably well, continuing the modest growth we reported last year. However, a closer look suggests that budget increases may not go far enough. While 81% of all respondents projected an increase in total operating budgets, only 68% said they expected materials funding to go up. Still, the core numbers look stable, even though growth in revenue doesn’t mean a library has become rich, just as some facing slowdowns remain well funded. For instance, per capita funding increased 7.8% from FY06 to FY07, while an increase of 4.2% was projected for FY08. That would put average per capita funding at $40.49, continuing steady progress.

Read the full article here

Share This

An Indiana University report has confirmed the economic value of the state’s public libraries: a total market value of goods and services estimated at $629.9 million and a return of $2.38 on each dollar of investment. The November report, by the Indiana Business Research Center at IU’s Kelley School of Business, concludes that public libraries are a good value, serving as “an important channel for literacy, education, and information.”

Read the full article here

Share This

Libraries can ‘make a powerful argument for their own value’ according to new return-on-investment (RoI) reports from Outsell. The information analyst company measured library end-user feedback from corporate, government and the health and education sectors. Outsell say the findings of their results should encourage information providers, libraries and publishers to highlight the quantifiable contribution they make to an organisation.

Read the full article here

Share This