Using a hypothetical Thanksgiving dinner in which the invitees include Macmillan CEO John Sargent, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, and Eric Klinenberg, retired librarian Sari Feldman shares details such as the following to help explain the value of libraries:
At my former library, the Cuyahoga County Public Library, in Ohio, we recently calculated the value of the marketing support we provide for debut authors, using metrics such as website impressions, in-branch promotions, and comparable paid advertising. The total came to more than $10,000 in value, on average. And, we offer this support for free. That’s $10,000 in value is just for one library system in one metropolitan area. But I could assure Mr. Sargent that if our already-patient readers were to be increasingly frustrated by artificially extended wait times, the value of our marketing, and the value of the library itself, would be diminished. And that would harm everyone—libraries, authors, publishers, and readers.
She also calls out Amazon’s embargo on libraries, which is so normal that it’s easy to forget for anyone outside of Collection Development.
The whole article is worth your time.