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Business Value Calculator
Summer 2022
As a Senior Program Manager at the Urban Libraries Council, I led the Economic Opportunity Action Team, launched during the COVID-19 pandemic, to support libraries in identifying and testing solutions to meet their community’s economic needs. In collaboration with staff from this of libraries, and inspired by St. Louis County Library’s Small Business Value Calculator, we built a new interactive tool to help libraries concretely estimate the value they provide to their local business community. A user guide, a methodology guide, and a communications guide supplemented the data tool.
Shortly after the tool was launched, 30 libraries used it to collectively calculate over $200 million in annual value for their economy through services provided to local businesses. The resulting report, Business Value Calculator: Early Insights and Results, was shared nationally. Several of the libraries that calculated their value share their impact, including Seattle Public Library (Washington), Vaughan Public Libraries (Ontario), Allen County Public Library (Indiana), and Schaumburg Township District Library (Illinois).
The Urban Libraries Council is dedicated to strengthening and advancing the essential role of public libraries as a dynamic place for innovation, equity, and opportunity. We connect public library leaders and drive transformative change to enrich the lives of individuals and urban communities across North America.