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Making Cities Stronger: PUBLIC LIBRARY CONTRIBUTIONS to LOCAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

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ABOUT THIS REPORT The rules of engagement in economic development are agencies, corporations, nonprofits, and community changing. More and more, economic development success organizations working together to elevate levels of strategies involve people, technology, and growing an education and economic potential, making cities stronger. infrastructure for economic activity built on ideas, We deeply appreciate the public library members of our knowledge, experience, and quality of life. Urban Libraries Council who provided input for the research The Urban Libraries Council commissioned this study to look of this report. We also appreciate the insights of our at how public libraries contribute to the human dimension Advisory Committee that guided this work, the Urban of economic development. In the process, researchers also Institute for helping us to learn more about the businesses uncovered more evidence of the important contributions we are in, and the support and funding from the Bill & public libraries make to strengthening places and Melinda Gates Foundation and Geraldine R. Dodge community quality of life. Foundation. This report indicates that public libraries today are deeply We hope you will use this information as a tool to re-frame involved with people, technology, and quality of life. Public discussions regarding the public library role in local libraries have tremendous reach geographically and economic development. Our hope is to stimulate a virtually. Within the U.S. there are over 9,000 public libraries dialogue among developers, planning professionals, elected providing services in over 16,000 branch facilities and officials, business and public library leaders to think through the Web. Nearly every one of these locally-funded differently about the value of public libraries as unique and organizations offers collections and programs that support versatile partners in these human resource and community- early literacy, workforce readiness and small businesses. As building arenas. We urge public libraries to extend and such, they are an important and dynamic part of the expand their resources and strategies that can profoundly community’s learning infrastructure which supports local impact local economic development conditions. economic development. This study finds that the return on investment in public libraries not only benefits individuals, but also strengthens community capacity to address urgent issues related to Martín Gómez, economic development. Public libraries are increasingly President finding their “fit” in the formal and informal network of Urban Libraries Council ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Idea: The Urban Assets Strategy Group, Executive Board, and Martín Advisory Committee: Linda Darragh, Professor, University of Chicago Gómez, President, of the Urban Libraries Council, Evanston, IL School of Business; Katherine Hadley, Director, Minneapolis Public Research and Publication Copy: Carlos A. Manjarrez, Jessica Cigna, and Library; Barbara Mistick, Director, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh; Beata Bajaj, The Urban Institute, Metropolitan Housing and Community Heywood Sanders, Professor, University of Texas-San Antonio School of Center, Washington, DC Government Editing: Danielle Patrick Milam, Sr. VP/Program & Development, Urban Underwriting: The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Geraldine Libraries Council, Evanston, IL R. Dodge Foundation Making Cities Stronger: PUBLIC LIBRARY CONTRIBUTIONS TO LOCAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY . 2 CHAPTER 1 Linking to Local Economic Development . 4 Local economic development practice has broadened to include strategies for building human, social, institutional and physical resources. This change has created an opportunity for public libraries to identify when and where their assets contribute to building a stronger local economy. CHAPTER 2 Improving Early Literacy and School Readiness . 7 Recent research in the areas of child development and economics reveals some of the long- term benefits of investments in early education. Libraries are a key community resource in this arena. CHAPTER 3 Strategies for Building Workforce Participation . 13 Strategic workforce development planning and services are key components of many local economic development strategies. Libraries are uniquely positioned to build the employment information and technology skills of area residents. Copyright © January 2007 The Urban Libraries Council CHAPTER 4 All rights reserved Small Business Support Through Public Libraries . 17 Small businesses are strong contributors to local economies. Public libraries provide Printed in the United States of America support services and online resources necessary to succeed in an increasingly ISBN: 1-885251-35-1 competitive small business sector. CHAPTER 5 Public Libraries and the Power of Place . 21 The Urban Library facilities have a positive impact on downtowns, commercial areas, and Institute neighborhoods. CHAPTER 6 URBAN LIBRARIES COUNCIL Conclusions About Public Library Contributions . 24 APPENDIX . 27 Table of Contents Table Making Cities Stronger: EXECUTIVE PUBLIC LIBRARY CONTRIBUTIONS TO LOCAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT SUMMARY OCAL ECONOMIES TODAY are in rapid transition, combined with the power of new digital collections, moving from bases of manufacturing and service technology, and training, position them to help L industries to information and idea industries. communities make the transition from manufacturing and Accompanying this transformation are a number of radical service economies to high tech and information changes in preferred work skills, business and service economies. models, local-to-global networks, and definitions of what Public libraries build a community’s capacity for make places “attractive.” Given these changes, economic activity and resiliency. Many families and communities are reassessing their assets and development caregivers rely on the library to provide important pre- strategies in light of what is needed to succeed in the new school reading and learning. Many people entering the and next economies. workforce rely on libraries to get them online. Local Strategies for building a strong economic base are being businesses are increasingly tapping into the library’s realigned. Human resource strategies are coming to the online databases to keep themselves competitive and to fore, as jobs created in the new economy require highly find synergistic new business opportunities. Library educated and technologically-skilled workers. Strategies facilities often anchor downtown and commercial to keep a vibrant base of small business, traditionally a developments, and are attractive neighborhood major source of local job creation, intact and competitive amenities. in a very mobile and global entrepreneurial environment These are the essential findings uncovered by researchers are also emerging. Increasingly, physical development from the Urban Institute, as they teamed up with the strategies are moving away from enticing outside firms Urban Libraries Council, an association of large with tax abatements and other incentives, to building on metropolitan public libraries, to investigate the impact of local strengths, mixing-up residential, commercial and public libraries on local economic conditions. Making cultural activities to create vibrant, high quality-of-life cities. Cities Stronger: Public Library Contributions to Local Public libraries are logical partners for local economic Economic Development adds to a growing body of development initiatives that focus on people and quality of research that notes a shift in the role of public libraries – life. Libraries are widely available, highly regarded public from passive, recreational reading and research institutions that provide a broad range of information institutions to active economic development agents. The services and support for diverse constituencies. In this era study was commissioned by the Urban Libraries Council of economic transformation, the business of public libraries (ULC) and funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is being recast. Public access to digital information and and Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation. technology is a draw for libraries. Their open structure, Making Cities Stronger 2 This report highlights the specific ways local governments, data. Libraries are the source for new online business agencies, and libraries are working together to achieve databases that reach entrepreneurs around the clock. benefits for individuals, agencies and the community at Researchers find that when libraries work with local and large in four areas: state agencies to provide business development data, workshops and research, market entry costs to prospective Early Literacy services are contributing to long-term small businesses are reduced, existing businesses are economic success. As the strong correlation between strengthened, and new enterprises are created. Libraries investments in early literacy and long-term economic are also in the vanguard, trying new strategies. The success is documented, public libraries are expanding Columbus Public Library (OH) is working with a regional beyond their traditional story time services, engaging in agency to provide business plan development seminars. high-impact strategies with community partners. Many In Brooklyn, the library hosts a business plan competition libraries across the country are leading public awareness with a seed money prize. In Phoenix (AZ), the public library campaigns, reaching new
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