Quality of Life

From reading to audio books to classes and workshop to DVDs, our libraries add to our quality of life. So many across the state couldn’t imagine living in a community without a library and recognize the value—both tangible and intangible—libraries bring to their lives.

Libraries are one of the best investments people can make in their communities. The public service return on investment of our libraries is tremendous. For every dollar people pay in taxes to support their local library, the public service return on investment is greater than any market driven investment today. Over and over again, libraries have proven themselves to be essential services in their communities—on par with police, fire/emt, health care and education.

Libraries bring diverse people together. Libraries provide fun activities for families. Libraries provide free access to information and resources, to computers and the web, to collections of books, DVDs, periodicals, CDs, audio books and downloadable resources, to classes and programs that open new opportunities and broaden horizons. Libraries provide a safe place for gamers—tweens, teen and adults alike. Libraries make quiet space available for study and reading. Put simply, libraries are recreation for the mind.