12 Ways Libraries Are Good for the Country | American Libraries Magazine

7. Libraries return high dividends.

Libraries offer big returns to the communities they serve—anywhere from $1.30 to $10 in services for every $1 invested in them. Strong public and school libraries make a city or town more desirable as a business location. Americans check out an average of more than seven books a year from public libraries, and it costs them roughly $34 in taxes—about the cost of a single hardcover book.

12 Ways Libraries Are Good for the Country American Libraries Magazine (21.12.2010)