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The headline figures for the whole library service show that every £1 invested in Suffolk Libraries’ as a whole creates an estimated return of £6 in social value.
HERE are elements of public library activity that have specific and overt social objectives and for which the direct
social impacts are clearly visible without too much explanation required.
However, other aspects can get overlooked when advocating the relevance of libraries in today’s climate of social need. Resource lending and information are two areas often underplayed in this narrative, often being dismissed as being merely transactional.
Suffolk Libraries have recently published findings from an extensive research project commissioned to measure and evidence the social impact and value of the service as a whole, covering as full a range of library elements and audiences as possible. Independent consultants Moore Kingston Smith were tasked to collect evidence and, by referencing the findings against a range of proxy measures, to calculate a meaningful and credible picture of the social return of the service.
Naturally this included all of the more overtly social inclusion and wellbeing focussed projects and activities we provide – they are crucial to what we are – but when commissioning the research, we were also keen to understand the impacts and value of those service elements that can get overlooked in this kind of thinking, where the impacts are perhaps less direct. The headline figures for the whole library service show that every £1 invested in Suffolk Libraries’ as a whole creates an estimated return of £6 in social value. This equates to £41m worth of social value and includes an estimated saving of around £542,000 per year for NHS services in Suffolk. Of course, we will be publicising these impressive headline figures as widely as we can, but here I want to focus on the parts of the research that cover the impact of our resource
March 2023
lending and information offers specifically.
For lending resources, guidance and information, £9.1m per year in added social value was calculated. This translates to a return of £5.69 for every £1 invested in this area. The research acknowledged that acquiring, maintaining and making available lending resources requires quite a high investment but highlighted the impact of this, showing “just over £4m (per year) in value through people engaging with different media, enjoying reading, avoided cognitive decline, more fulfilled leisure time use, increased local and world knowledge and also the avoided cost of purchasing books, magazines and other media”.
A clear outcome from this area was the greater fulfilment that stakeholders experienced from their leisure time, enabling them to read books they may not otherwise read. It goes without saying that given that library resources are free, the ability to access them greatly reduced the financial burden. An increase in skills and knowledge obtained through library-lent resources was another common theme. Although reading is often seen as a solitary, dare I say isolated, activity the research evidenced library lending creating social connections. One participant commented “I think there are also benefits of having read recently published books, giving topics for conversation socially as well as gaining understanding of current issues.” Another social aspect of resource lending came across in the connection books can build and strengthen within families. Respondents reported that being able to borrow books and reading them with children or other family members at home had contributed to familial bonds and relationships.
The social impacts of certain types of information and guidance are perhaps more tangible, and the presence of library staff and resources to provide information was highly valued.
Paul Howarth (
paul.howarth@
suffolklibraries.co.uk) is Head of Content and Resource Development, Suffolk Libraries.
www.suffolklibraries.co.uk
Examples of information mentioned included local bus timetables, location and availability of foodbank services, and NHS guidance on different health conditions – information that is helping people engage and connect socially, and to live happier, healthier lives. Given the complexity and variable levels of reliability across other sources, the library was seen as an especially trustworthy source of information. Also interesting here is the proportion of people who reported feeling more empowered and independent as a result of having the library service available to them to provide information.
All of this shows resource provision as having worth far beyond the transactional and will perhaps provide food for thought for anyone looking towards stock and resources budgets as an easy, low impact source of savings. The observations and conclusions will, perhaps, not be a surprise to anyone involved in the acquisition and provision of library resources, but it is reassuring and useful to have black and white evidence to back up what we innately know to be true; library resources have real impact and value. The full report and analysis is available at
https://bit.ly/3KvGMAg. IP
INFORMATION PROFESSIONAL 35
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