Quotable Facts About America’s Libraries 2010

DID YOU KNOW?
o 62% of adults in the U.S. have public library cards (Harris 2010 survey)
o Americans go to school, public and academic libraries nearly three times more often than they go to the movies.
o Reference librarians in the nation’s public and academic libraries answer nearly 5.7 million questions weekly. Standing single file, the line of questioners would span from Long Island, New York, to Juneau, Alaska.
o A 2009 poll conducted for the American Library Association found that 96% respondents agreed that public libraries play an important role in giving everyone a chance to succeed because it provides free access to materials and resources.

STATE BY STATE
o Seattle, WA—Visits to the new public library have increased King County tourism. Increased tourism of 1 % yields $1 billion in new economic activity statewide over 25 years.
o Maryland—An overwhelming 90 percent of the state’s citizens say public libraries are “a good investment.” *More than 40 percent of the state’s citizens think of public librar- ies as an economic anchor, potentially attracting “good businesses” to their area.
o Texas—90% of households agreed that during economic hard times, public libraries provide important resources to families and job seekers.
o South Carolina—The total direct and indirect return on investment for every $1 expended on the state’s public libraries by SC State and local governments is $4.48—almost 350%!

PUBLIC
o There are more public libraries than McDonald’s in the U.S.—a total of 16,604 including branches.
o Americans spend more than twice as much on candy as they do on public libraries.
o Americans check out an average of more than seven books a year. They spend $34.95 a year for the public library—about the average cost of one hardcover book.
o Public libraries are the number one point of online access for people without internet connections at home, school or work.
o 98.7% of public libraries provide public access to the Internet.
o More than 65% of public libraries provide services for job seekers.

ACADEMIC
o Academic librarians answer 56.1 million reference questions each year—reaching almost 10 million more than attend college football games.
o College libraries receive just less than six cents of every dollar spent on higher education.
o If the cost of People magazine had risen as fast as the cost of academic library periodicals since 1990, it would cost about $182 for a one-year subscription.
o There are 542 students enrolled for every librarian in U.S. 2– and 4-year colleges and universities in 2008, as compared with 4.3 students for each teaching faculty member.
SCHOOL
o Research shows the highest achieving students attend schools with well-staffed and well-funded library media centers.
o The average copyright year for health and medicine titles in school libraries is 1995—a student using these resources would not learn about mad cow disease outbreak in Britain (1996) or about the cloning of Dolly the sheep (1997).
o Students make 1.5 billion visits to school library media centers during the school year—this is 140 million more than attendances made to movie theatres in 2008.
o Americans spend over 20 times as much money on home video games ($21.3 billion) as they do on school library materials for their children ($1 billion).
o School libraries spend an average of $12.06 per student on library media—about two-thirds the cost of a single fiction title ($17.63) or about one-third the cost of a single non-fiction title ($27.04).
o Students make 1.5 billion visits to school library media centers during the school year—or 5.5 times as many visits to national parks.

Sources: ALA Office for Research & Statistics, ALA Public Information Office. All facts compiled in2009.
For more information please contact:
Office for Library Advocacy
American Library Association
50 E. Huron St., Chicago, Illinois, 60611
Telephone: 1.800.545.2433, x 2428
E-mail: advocacy@ala.org

Created in cooperation with the ALA Office for Research & Statistics; and the ALA Public Information Office.
This quote card is made possible by the ALA Library Champions in support of America’s Libraries: www.ala.org/librarychampions.

Orange Libraries Summer Reading Program

The schedule of special events at the Orange Public Libraries for the Summer Reading Club of 2010 have been severely cut back due to the fact that the libraries may close permanently shortly after July 1, 2010. With the uncertainty of the libraries’ future, performers were released from their contracts. Some artists were able to continue their commitment to perform if the Orange Libraries remained open through the passage of a Proposition 2 and 1/2 on June 14, 2010. Events scheduled after July 1are listed below but they will occur only if the Orange Public Libraries are open. All programs are free, thanks to the generous support of the Friends of the Orange Public Libraries.

June 21, Monday, 10:00-6:00: Sign up starts for the Go Green Summer Reading Program. Visit the library as soon as possible to register for programs and pick up free materials to help track and reward your summer reading.

June 22-August 3, Tuesdays, 10:30: GO Green Rise and Romp story times at the Wheeler Memorial Library.

June 24, Thursday, 4:30-6:30: Medicine Mammals returns at the request of last summer’s readers. New this year will be their tee-pee which will be set up next to the Wheeler Library. Participants will be invited inside the tee-pee and offered a chance to create a corn husk doll. Some of the animals rescued by Medicine Mammals will also be visiting the library. This three person group is dedicated to wildlife rescue following the Native American philosophy that all life is sacred.

June 24, Thursday, 6:30-7:30: Come be enthralled as Medicine Mammals performs star legends, songs, and hoop dances.

July 8, 15, 22, 29, Thursdays, 10:30: Project Wild Nature story times for toddlers to children age 7. This program takes place at the Moore-Leland Library.

July 28, Wednesday, 3:00: Trina Moruzzi, a wildlife biologist with the Division of Mass. Wildlife, will lead a neighborhood wildlife walk starting from the Wheeler Memorial Library. Come try your skills at tracking and finding other signs left by our wild neighbors. Those 7 years old or younger should be accompanied by an adult. Registration recommended.

August 4, Wednesday, starting at 4:30: The Boston Museum of Science will bring their Animal Invaders program to the Wheeler Memorial Library. Registration required.

August 11, Wednesday, 6:30: Can you make an ice cream sundae look like a tree, a frog, a snake. All who have recorded the time spent they spent reading will be invited to an Ice Cream Sundae Celebration complete with certificates, a drawing for a free pair of tickets to the Big E, and an announcement of how much money we raised for the Orange Food Pantry. Readers’ donations of canned goods will also be made into a Food Frog.


More programs may be added! Check the newspapers and www.orangelib.org for updates or call the Childrens’ Room, 978-544-2495, x103

Register Today!

Today is the last day to register to vote in the June 14th special election. The Town Clerk's office will be open until 8pm to register last minute voters. Please encourage your friends and family to register if they have not.

Friends Meeting

There will be a meeting of the Friends of the Orange Public Libraries at the Orange Workers Credit Union on Monday night May 24th at 7pm. Discussion will continue on the crisis facing the Library.

Friends Meeting

There is a Friends of the Orange Public Libraries meeting at the Workers Credit Union on Friday at noon.

The Friends of the Orange Public Libraries

At their emergency meeting last Friday, the Friends of the Orange Public Libraries voted to recommend passage of all four ballot questions on the June 14,2010 special election.  The Friends group assists the Library in many very important ways.  Check out their Facebook page here and their home on the Web here.

Trustee Action

At their May 13, 2010 meeting, the Wheeler Memorial Library Trustees, voted unanimously to recommend the passage of all four override questions in the June 14, 2010 special Town election. 

Emergency Friends Meeting Friday Night, May 14,2010

The Friends of the Orange Public Libraries will have an emergency meeting to discuss the Library override question at the Town Hall at 7:00pm.

The Library Override Question

What is the crisis? The Town of Orange is facing a budget deficit of more than $700,000 for fiscal year 2011. Revenues are down from the state and projected expenses far exceed any reasonable estimate of income the Town will receive.

What is the Finance Committee proposing? The Finance has recommended and the Selectmen have approved holding a special election that will offer four ballot questions to the voters. If the override questions do not pass, some Town services will be sharply cut back or eliminated. In the case of the Library, all library employees would be laid off, and the libraries would be closed. One way or another, the budget would be balanced, as required by law.

When is the election? The special election is June 14, 2010 from 10:00am to 8:00 pm at the Armory.

What are the other questions on the ballot? There are three other questions on the ballot. These include whether to lay off part time clerical staff (and reduce hours for some full time staff) at Town Hall and certain other departments, whether to close the Transfer Station and turn off streetlights, and whether to fund the Council on Aging.

What is at risk? For the Library, all library operations would cease shortly after July 1, 2010. Both libraries would close. All library employees would be permanently laid off. There would be no library programs, circulation of materials, or access to facilities. Because Orange would not be financially supporting its own library, Town residents would not be welcome to use other area libraries.

How much will the override cost me as a taxpayer? The Library override question would, if passed, add 49 cents tax per $1000.00 of assessed valuation to property tax payers. On a $150,000 home, the increase would be $18.38 per quarter.

What Town decision makers are involved? The Finance Committee, the Selectmen, and the Town Administrator have crafted this approach to balancing the Town Budget.

How do I contact the Finance Committee, the Selectmen, and the Town Administrator? All of the previous may be contacted through Town Hall at 978-544-1100 or in person at 6 Prospect Street.

What can I do to to influence the outcome of all this? Exercise your Right to Vote and determine what the future of Orange will be.

What could happen at Town Meeting? Town Meeting could change the Town Budget for next year in any way it sees fit, regardless of the override or the proposal from the Finance Committee.

Important Meeting!

The regular monthly meeting of the Wheeler Memorial Library Trustees will be upstairs in the Ruth B. Smith Auditorium at Town Hall, 6 Prospect Street, Orange, MA 01364 on this Thursday, May 13, 2010 at 6:30pm.  Among items discussed will be the special Town election on June 14, 2010 which will include a ballot question concerning an Proposition 2 1/2 override to provide funding for the Library in fiscal year 2011.  The public is encouraged to attend.