Impact of Public Libraries on Central New York communities
| # | Borrower/Circulation | Program Number/Attendance | Funding/Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Average and Total Attendance per Children’s Program Session | Total Circulation | Operating Fund Balance (Fiscal Year Beginning) |
| 2 | Average and Total Attendance per Young Adult’s Program Session | Children’s Circulation | Total Capital Income |
| 3 | Number of Children’s and Young Adult's Programs Sessions | Total Circulation of Children’s Books | Total Federal Aid |
| 4 | Number of Registered Borrowers (total & per capita) | Total Circulation of Adults’ Books | Total Local Public Sources |
For libraries in every Central New York county, the generated values are significantly higher than the fundings. For instance, in 2018, libraries in Onondaga generated $742,282, nearly three times higher than their funding ($258,505). For every dollar of taxpayer money, libraries offer services that are worth as high as $3. In some other counties, the value-investment ratio can be as high as 7 to 1. In 2014, Cortland county’s public library value ($707,303) was almost seven times higher than its funding ($97,406). We can conclude that libraries offer services at a much higher value than the budget they receive.
On the other hand, when it comes to statistics in each funding/value category, there is no consistent trend. For all counties, while the funding remained stable, the generated values fluctuated slightly: they went down slowly from 2014 to 2016, picked up again in 2017, and then decreased at the end. The same pattern applied to every county, except for Madison where the funding values recorded a downward trend. The highest generated value was recorded in Onondaga, at almost $3 million.
When we break library funding down to public sources and federal aid, we can easily see a wide discrepancy between these two categories (federal aid is mostly $0). The same pattern is noticeable in the two metrics of the generated value category, with return-on-investment value significantly higher than capital income. For instance, in 2018 Oswego, while the federal aid is $0, the public sources are $258,505. Similarly, while the capital income is only $8,413, the return-on-investment is $733,869. Therefore, public sources and return-on-investment are the two main factors in the funding and generated value category.
This discrepancy between funding and generated values successfully demonstrates the value of library services. Not only are public libraries worth US taxpayer money, but they also enrich their communities economically. Their value is not strictly financial - they offer our community knowledge and resources regardless of socio-economic status. We conclude that libraries are a sound community investment instead of a financial burden on taxpayers or government budgets.
1.0 to -0.7 strong negative association
-0.7 to -0.5 moderate negative association
-0.5 to -0.3 weak negative association
-0.3 to +0.3 little or no association
+0.3 to +0.5 weak positive association
+0.5 to +0.7 moderate positive association
+0.7 to +1.0 strong positive association
ELA passing rate vs circulation and program attendance rate
All counties in Central New York share a common trend. While the circulation and program attendance rate remained relatively flat throughout the 5 years, the ELA passing rate experienced an upward trend until 2017, at which point it decreased significantly. In general, the passing rate stayed within the 50% to 80% range.
In general, a high correlation between ELA passing rate and library usage means that these library services have a positive impact on children’s reading skill development. By third grade, a child should be ready to use their reading skills as a learning tool. Children still struggling to read at this point may experience difficulty to keep up in classes later in the future. Therefore, library services can provide support for children regardless of background to make sure that every child receives the education they need.
High school graduation rate vs circulation and program attendance rate
All counties in Central New York experienced a relatively stable trend when it comes to high school graduation rates. The graduation rate remained within the 70%-90% range. The correlation between circulation and graduation rate fluctuated from county to county, with the highest tau value at 0.6708204 in Cayuga and lowest at -0.316528 in Madison. On the other hand, the correlation between program attendance and the graduation rate is positive for all counties, with the exception of Madison and Onondaga (no correlation). In general, a high correlation between high school graduation and library usage means that these library services have a positive impact on children’s reading skill development.
In today’s world, a high school diploma is a minimum requirement for many job opportunities. People who have at least a high school diploma have higher-paid jobs than those who don’t. In 2019, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projected that people with less than a high school diploma have a median weekly earnings of $592 and this group bears an unemployment rate of 5.4%. By comparison, people with a high school diploma had median weekly earnings of $746 and an unemployment rate of 3.7%. Educated people can adapt better to a changing economy and constant technological developments.
Correlation between housing values and library location
Hypothesis: The nearer a house is to a public library, the higher its value is.
Current progress: A two-layer filled map. The density colors represent the median housing values for each Census tract. The points indicate the location of the libraries.
Difficulties: