The library value, or how the invaluable becomes tangible.
Did you ever wonder how much you would have to pay for services that are available for free at the library? You can actually find out with the Library Value Calculator, provided by Friends of Canadian Libraries group.
You might fill the numbers in yourself and come with your own estimate (the website also includes approximate values assigned to each library service) or check results for different library systems. For Toronto Public Library, the figure is $352 (May 5, 2010), but if you check out lots of materials and just sum up their retail value… it will actually be a four-digit number.
The average contribution of a Toronto taxpayer to the library was $64.76 in 2008. Well, you do the math 🙂
4 thoughts on “The library value, or how the invaluable becomes tangible.”
Wow! $298.00 a month! And that’s just for me — it’s not even counting what my teenager reads, or the databases used for school, or … lots of things, now that I think of it.
As a lifelong citizen of Toronto and user of TPL branches, I truly believe that the library provides the best return on our tax dollars, bar none. This calculator, or a link, should be front and centre on the TPL Homepage, as it is on the homepage for the Huntsville public library.
Timely reminder how precious the various library services are in times when the income gap is growing…Hopefully people will take the time to respond to the City of Toronto services review happening right now…
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/toronto/what-would-you-cut-toronto-asks-its-residents/article2033878/
$1536/year for me! $3120/year for a friend. Awesome.