More on “Opportunity for All”

My pal, Ron Stefanski, has been busy dissecting the recent IMPACT Study that was released last month.

As you’ll remember, it makes a strong case for the wonderful contributions you and your staff make to our community life (169 Million Americans can’t be wrong!), and why we need to invest in public libraries.

Opportunity for All: How the American Public Benefits from Internet Access at U.S. Libraries
(For convenience, here’s the link to the full 200 page report)
http://impact.ischool.washington.edu/documents/OPP4ALL_FinalReport.pdf

Ron noted that when you look at the eight areas where people reported using library computers in the past year, it offered some pretty interesting revelations. Top 4 areas where library users are going:

Education (42% of library computer users reported using computers for education related activities)
Employment (40% of library computer users reported using computers for employment or career purposes)
Health and wellness (37% of library computer users focused on health and wellness issues—finding insurance options, researching, etc.)
Building and maintaining social connections (60% of library computer users reported using library to maintain social connections)

If I had to pick four things that made a difference in communities, those four aren’t a bad start! Asked more strongly, which politician or bureaucrat wants to argue to dominish these servicesa at budget time. I think it’s only the ones who want to lose in next election.

This report provides a wealth of information to inform our public library strategy. Our Gale Cengage investments in new tools and applications in the areas of education and learning, careers and health and wellness align directly with these findings. This also validates Gale’s plan to continue to develop broad strategic partnerships with libraries, and our large investments in library advocacy efforts.

Stephen