The Value of Kentucky's Public Libraries: A Return-on-Investment Study

The Value of Kentucky’s Public Libraries: A Return-on-Investment Study Research Team Principal Investigator Dr. Brian Real Assistant Professor, School of Information Science Co-Principal Investigator Dr. Alison Davis H.B. Price Professor of Agricultural Economics Executive Director, Community and Economic Development of Kentucky Co-Investigator Dr. Shannon M. Oltmann Associate Professor, School of Information Science Abstract Researchers and Extension Faculty from the Community and Economic Development Initiative in Kentucky (CEDIK) in the Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food, and Environment and the School of Information Science (SIS) in the College of Communication and Information request $50,000 to study the return-on-investment (ROI) that communities across Kentucky receive from investing in their local public libraries. The Kentucky Department of Libraries and Archives (KDLA) will serve as the funding organization for this as well as an additional partner, providing access to data for this research project and facilitating connections to public libraries throughout the Commonwealth. Kentucky’s public libraries often have difficulty communicating their value, and considering that the majority of library funding comes from local governments, this lack of clear communication can contribute to budget cuts and even closures. This transdisciplinary collaboration will translate library programs and services into real impacts that are clearly digestible at the state and local levels, providing these libraries with data and tools to help them to better advocate for themselves. The Value of Kentucky’s Public Libraries will include a state-level report, but it will also build on UK’s dedication to have a presence in every county in Kentucky by providing local data for all 120 public library systems in the Commonwealth.