Education

Libraries Programs - Basic Support

Statewide Outcome(s):

Basic Support supports the following statewide outcome(s).

A thriving economy that encourages business growth and employment opportunities.

Minnesotans have the education and skills needed to achieve their goals.

Context:

Minnesota’s public libraries help bridge the divide between those who have access to information and those who do not by providing free and equal access to information for people of all ages and backgrounds statewide. According to the American Library Association (http://www.ala.org/advocacy), families nationally that make less than $15,000 annually are two to three times more likely to rely on library computers than those earning more than $75,000. Public libraries offer computers and high-speed broadband access as well as the expertise of trained staff to help Minnesotans develop 21^st Century literacy skills. Public library resources support workforce development, digital literacy, small business and community economic development, e-government activities, education, and lifelong learning.

Strategies:

Regional library basic system support provides state aid to regional library systems to benefit Minnesotans through the provision of interlibrary resource sharing programs, shared automation, and coordinated services to member libraries. Regional library basic system support serves Minnesota residents through 12 regional public library systems whose branch or member libraries include 359 public library buildings statewide. Participation in regional public library systems includes all Minnesota counties and serves almost all of the state’s residents.

State funding and federal Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) funding promote cost-effective services through cooperation, collaboration, and resource-sharing statewide. State regional library basic system support is state aid distributed by statutory formula using population, square mileage, equalized valuation of property and a basic amount per system as outlined in Minnesota Statutes (M.S.) 134.34 and M.S. 134.355. The federal LSTA funding program provides population-based grants to states with a State Library Administrative Agency (the Division of State Library Services of the Minnesota Department of Education). State and federal funding for public libraries provide about 20 percent of the total investment in library services.

Minnesotans use public libraries for information and self-sufficiency including access to resources for education, self-development, career development and personal interests. This activity provides the following services to strengthen the ability of public libraries across the state to provide services to citizens:

·         provides incentives for counties and cities to work together in regional public library systems extending service to all at the most reasonable cost;

·         distributes funding between cooperating jurisdictions;

·         encourages the sharing of library materials within each region and statewide through library-to-library lending and reciprocal borrowing and returning;

·         maintains and improves the infrastructure for reading and lifelong learning through collaborative library programs, materials, and outreach to culturally diverse communities;

·         targets library services to individuals of diverse geographic, cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds, individuals with disabilities, and people with limited functional literacy or information skills;

·         encourages library and information services to underserved urban and rural communities, including children from families living in poverty.

Results:

According to the 2011 public library annual reports submitted to the Division of State Library Services, Minnesotans visited their public libraries 27,418,144 times in 2012, which is an average of 527,272 visits per week or the equivalent of over five visits per person annually (based upon the 2010 U.S. Census state population of 5,303,925). This is over five times the 5,030,516 total home games attendance in 2011-2012 at Twins, Vikings, Minnesota Wild, and Timberwolves games according to their websites.

Regional public library systems through their branch or member libraries provided programs that promote community development through:

·         early childhood literacy programs provided in collaboration with local early childhood and other community groups;

·         homework help programs;

·         resources for homeschoolers and distance learners;

·         high-speed broadband internet access to e-government, the Electronic Library for Minnesota (ELM) and other databases, and other e-resources;

·         63,655,724 reference questions or the equivalent of 12 questions per Minnesotan annually were answered by trained library staff;

·         359 public library buildings offered evening and weekend hours for access to resources for workforce development, education, lifelong learning, etc.

According to the 2011 Library Return on Investment Study completed by the University of Minnesota – Duluth’s, Labovitz School of Business and Economics Bureau of Business and Economic Research, available at http://www.crplsa.info/display/home/2012/02/22/ROI+Report+Available, the Return on Investment (ROI) in 2010 of Minnesota’s regional public library systems and its branch or member libraries was calculated at $4.62 in annual return per dollar of public tax support.

Performance Measures Notes:

1.     Previous: FY 2010 / Current: FY 2012

2.     Previous: FY 2010 / Current: FY 2012