The public sector is responsible for approximately 80% of public library funding; the remainder comes from state grants, private sources, corporate supporters and fees. This figure is relatively consistent across the landscape of 9,000+ library jurisdictions, no matter their history, size or governance structure (see Key Facts). Given the significance of public support, library activism must focus on making the case for maintaining and increasing public sector investment. 

In fact, advocacy for public sector investment is the primary goal for most library advocates. Recent trends having the potential to undermine public sector appropriations at the local level suggest the need for advocates to increase their capacity to build support for public investment. They suggest the need for advocates to be more informed and more visible; to develop an advocacy infrastructure; and to reach out to organizational and special interest allies that understand libraries’ roles as community assets.

Background

Since 1833, when the public library of Peterborough in New Hampshire started to circulate books to residents without cost, there has been a strong tradition of local public sector investment in library collections and services. Andrew Carnegie popularized the notion of public support augmented by private dollars through his thousands of matching grants to communities that agreed to operate libraries if he would fund their construction. As a result, Americans have made large investments in their public libraries—investments that are continuing today. These expenditures have consistently reflected a consensus that public libraries enrich the fabric of personal and community experience and merit public support.  

Given the long-standing acceptance of public support for public libraries as a fundamental tenet of local governance, library advocacy could remain quiet, passive and informally organized. Patrons and others who cared about libraries did not have to convert that caring to activism. They could care about the library without acting for the library.   

New Challenges Require New Actions

Four relatively recent trends have started to undermine the consensus about public support for public libraries:    

• A movement to reduce the role of government through tax reductions, thereby limiting public investment in public services and public institutions. 
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• A growing demand for accountability on the part of decision-makers and budget officials. As the competition for public funding intensifies, legislators and others have begun asking, How much return are Americans getting from these substantial investments?
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• A lag in understanding on the part of the public and decision makers with respect to what the library is today; little understanding of the evolution of libraries as centers for economic, civic, and educational development. 
• A strong popular assumption that the nearly universal penetration of computers into homes, schools and the workplace obviates the need for the library as a center for information and communications.

One of these trends alone would be worrisome. Together, they demand strong and effective responses.  Advocacy for public investment in libraries must evolve to effectively engage and overcome these barriers. 

Public investment advocacy today requires a significant level of preparation, outreach and collaboration. Public investment advocates must:

• Be armed with information    
• Be active community ambassadors  
• Work in partnership and not in isolation  

These three approaches are essential for advocates to argue effectively for sustained or new public support.

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