Last week was National Library Week, so we talked about what libraries are for: offering access to information for everyone, and protecting American freedoms, along with many other things. This week, let's talk about the concrete benefits of libraries!
College libraries are one of your best tools for doing your academic work efficiently and well. It's been shown over and over again that using a college library improves student engagement and GPA. Butte College data has shown that our laptop and hotspot loan program improves grades! But don't just take the statistics' word for it; ask the students who come in and use our databases, books, and study rooms. We usually get good feedback, and when a teacher surveyed her College Connection students last spring, the library and CAS were students' two favorite things. So if you've never used library resources for your classes, come on in and take a look around. From our friendly reference librarians who help find needed information, to our study rooms that provide a quiet and private space to work, we're always working to support you.
How about public libraries? Public libraries have been proven to have great benefits to communities, so much so that businesses looking to build in a new location look for places with strong libraries. A simple measurement of benefit is ROI, Return on Investment; that is, for every dollar invested, what is the economic benefit to the community? Public libraries give an ROI of (on average) $4-5, which is an impressive number. Libraries generate this benefit by helping children and families improve literacy, helping elders stay connected and active, running plenty of educational and helpful programs, and even providing free lunches during the summer (as the Oroville Library has been doing for a while now!)
Finally, how can libraries help YOU? One big benefit is saving money! At either the college or public library, you can get lots of things for free:
- Books to read, for yourself or your kids! We love the 1000 Books Before Kindergarten program, which encourages great literacy skills. Nobody can afford to buy 1000 books for their kids, but the library will lend you an endless supply for free.
- Access to online resources, from job searching to free New York Times to academic databases
- Streaming movies! Why pay for streaming when you can get it from your friendly neighborhood public or academic library?
- Tools and equipment! The Oroville Library now has a Library of Things.
- E-books right on your phone or device
- State Parks passes (no really!)
- A place to gather and build connections
This weeks TL;DR: libraries are great and will improve your life while saving you money and time!