The San Marino California Public Library has attracted nearly $7 million in private-sector pledges toward the construction of a new library, the first new government building in San Marino in over fifty years. The BrandNewLibrary campaign materials, including a dedicated website, argue that the library will enhance the quality of life in San Marino, offering fiscal data as evidence.
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| The BrandNewLibrary Campaign |
This approach differs from the usual advocacy messaging, which emphasizes the intangible qualities of the library as a public good.
Instead, the rationale highlights facts that illuminate the comparative value of the library’s free services versus the price of comparable services on the open market. They include:
Free use of computers in the library in relation to the cost of similar access at a FedEx Kinko’s: charges of $15-$24 per hour for computer use, while library patrons have free access. In 2005, library users logged almost 5400 hours on the public access computers, equaling over $150,000 annual value for commercial access.
Library patrons have access to the library’s subscriptions to proprietary databases such as ValueLine, through which they can increase their personal investments while saving $850 per person in annual subscription costs. Individuals also have free access to other sources that enhance and preserve their fiscal activities and savings, including the Wall Street Journal, Barron’s and Consumer Reports.
Small business owners gain access to expensive industry-specific databases such as the California Manufacturers Register, the Directory of California Wholesalers and Service Companies and the Million Dollar Directory. Local companies can find information through and at the library that would otherwise cost them hundreds of dollars in subscriptions.
San Marino library patrons do not have to spend their personal dollars on books and materials that are purchased by the library for the community and loaned at no charge. In 2005 the library bought more than 3800 books, each of which would have cost individual purchasers approximately $25 per book. If most books circulate an average of 10 times, the Library saved its patrons almost $1 million on book costs alone.
Many San Marino residents save time and the cost of photocopying by accessing online databases from homes or office. These include full-text magazine and newspaper indexes.
Funds generated by the library for the construction of the new government building constitute new revenues for the community.
According to the San Marino BrandNewLibrary.org website:
These private monies will benefit the whole community, generating substantial educational and financial returns for all San Marinans for decades to come. By any measure, that’s a generous return on investment!
San Marino’s rationale for supporting the new library illustrates the possibilities for incorporating quantitative measures into arguments for library investment.
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