CONTENTS Funding and Cost-Shifting 4 Contributing to Community Wellbeing

CONTRIBUTING TO COMMUNITY WELLBEING

Key indicators of public library use show that they are highly valued by their communities. In 2013, NSW public libraries had: • over 35 million visits (up 30% since 2000); • over 46 million loans; • over 5.4 million internet sessions via computer terminals and WiFi; • almost 3.2 million members (44% of the NSW population); • more than 56,000 public programs and events; • more than 1.2 million attendees at public programs; and • more than 9 million website visits.1

1 Source: State Library of NSW, Public Library Statistics 2012/13 Research published in 20132 by SGS Economics analysed the benefits of libraries, which include not only services and programs but: • the social interaction they facilitate; • the sense of place and enhanced local amenity; • the environmental savings generated through re-use of library collections; • contributions to language and computer literacy; and • the contribution of libraries to improved education, career development and health outcomes. It was estimated that the annual expenditure of $335 million by NSW public libraries returned benefits to the community worth more than $1 billion – which means that every dollar spent on public libraries delivers a community benefit of around $3.20.

2 Source – National Welfare and Economic Contributions of Public Libraries, https://www.alia.org.au/media-releases/libraries-better-investment-gold