Illinois Libraries: Agencies of Impact: A Data Study
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Message from RAILS
At RAILS, our mission statement, "We Connect Libraries," reflects our belief in the transformative power of libraries. We go beyond brick-and-mortar walls, fostering collaboration and resource-sharing to empower libraries of all types and sizes.
This guide dives deep into the quantifiable impact of Illinois libraries, equipping you with data to demonstrate their value to your stakeholders. Whether you're a librarian, a board member, or a community advocate, this information will help you showcase:
- Return on Investment: Explore data revealing the tangible benefits libraries deliver in exchange for their operational costs.
- Staffing Expertise: Understand the qualifications and dedication of library professionals, highlighting their unique contribution to communities.
- Community Reach: Discover the extensive reach of libraries, showcasing how they serve diverse populations and bridge information gaps.
This information is crucial for everyone invested in the future of Let's turn the page and discover the undeniable value of Illinois libraries.
Monica Harris, Executive Director
Libraries as Economic Engines
Illinois libraries purchased an estimated $1.1 billion dollars in goods and services in 2021, exceeding spending on drycleaning and laundry services, commuter rail, and nail salons. This total approaches the
level of spending by travel agencies, golf courses and country clubs, and newspaper publishers. Illinois libraries account for roughly 5% of the $22.2 billion spent by U.S. libraries in 2021.
Sources on library spending: NCES IPEDS (2014-2020), IMLS PLS (2010-2020), IPLAR (2021)
Annual U.S. Spending, in Billions of Dollars
- Golf courses and country clubs: $23.6
- Bus transportation: $23.1
- U.S. Libraries: $22.2
- Newspaper publishers: $20.6
- Nail salons: $8.2
- Parking lots and garages: $7.4
- Commuter rail: $6.5
- Drycleaning and laundry services: $5.6
- Barber shops: $1.2
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau (2021); Federal Transit Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation
Value of Library Services
Return on investment (ROI) is just one method libraries use to assess the impact of their investment in materials and programs. For this study, we’ve examined the value of one collection component: print materials. Assuming an average purchase cost per library book of $17.67, 95% of Illinois public libraries demonstrated an ROI for print materials greater than 100% in 2021.
| ROI (%) | Number of Illinois Public Libraries (rounded to nearest 10) |
|---|---|
| 100-499 | 60 |
| 500-999 | 120 |
| 1000-1499 | 150 |
| 1500-1999 | 90 |
| 2000-4999 | 170 |
| 5000-9999 | 20 |
| >10,000 | 10 |
Librarians as Logistics Experts
U.S. libraries circulate 3,114,222,595 items per year.
Public libraries lent 1,895,461,808 items through circulation to patrons and 121,790,355 items through interlibrary loan - 2,017,252,163 items total.
Academic libraries lent 1,084,124,574 items through circulation to patrons and 12,845,858 items through interlibrary loan - 1,096,970,432 items total.
Source: IMLS Public Libraries Survey (2010-2020), NCES IPEDS (2014-2020)
How do libraries compare to Amazon.com?
In the U.S., public libraries have slightly more cardholders than Amazon has Prime Members.
Amazon has 153 million Prime Members in the United States. (Statista, 2021)
U.S. public libraries have an estimated 173,143,919 registered cardholders. (IMLS PLS 2010-2020)
Each day, U.S. libraries circulate over five times as many items as Amazon ships.
Amazon shipped approximately 1.6 million packages per day in 2021. (Landing Cube, 2022)
U.S. libraries circulated an estimated 8.5 million items each day. (Based on data from IMLS PLS (2010-2020) and NCES IPEDS (2014-2020))
How do libraries compare to FedEx?
U.S. libraries circulate close to the same number of items shipped by FedEx.
FedEx shipped 9.9 million packages per day in 2021. (Statista, 2021)
U.S. libraries circulate 8.5 million items per day.
Libraries as Valued Destinations
One in three people in Illinois is a registered library cardholder; the same is true for one in two people nationwide.
Total number of registered library users in Illinois: 4.4 million (IPLAR, 2021)
Population of Illinois: 12.7 million (U.S. Census Bureau, 2021)
Libraries compared with sports attendance
2.5 times as many people visit Illinois public libraries each year (20,350,401) as attend these Illinois collegiate and professional sports events combined (8,063,235):
- NCAA basketball
- NCAA football
- Chicago Cubs
- Chicago White Sox
- Chicago Bears
- Chicago Bulls
- Chicago Blackhawks
- Chicago Fire
- Chicago Sky
- Chicago Red Stars
If Illinois library patrons paid the average cost of a sporting event ($71) each time they visited, public libraries would have generated an additional $1,444,878,471 in 2021.
(2021 Average ticket price based on data from Statista, Axios, Forbes, Reddit, and SeatGeek)
Libraries as Global Information Suppliers
Collection Volume
Illinois public libraries hold 36,889,960 print volumes, approximately three items the population of Illinois (12.6 million), a collection valued at nearly $652 million. (IPLAR (2021), U.S. Census Bureau (2021))
16,941,409 digital materials provided by public libraries. (IPLAR 2021)
Print Collection Value
Estimated value of library print collections in Illinois: $3.6 billion.
The total value of academic and public library print collections can be estimated by multiplying the number of print volumes by the average price per book.
| Library Type | Print Volumes | Average Book Price | Total Value for Library Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Public | 36,889,960 | $17.67 | $651,845,593 |
| Academic | 30,023,008 | $99.14 | $2,976,480,971 |
Delivery Service
The cost to provide interlibrary loan service was nearly $6.5 million in 2021. If libraries had purchased the 11.5 million items delivered by RAILS and IHLS, they would have paid more than $200 million.
11,551,005 (items delivered) x $17.67 (average book price) = $204,106,259 total value.
ROI for interlibrary loan service: 3082%
Source: ILSOS, 2021; School Library Journal
Library Access
There are 1762 registered library agencies in Illinois:
- Academic libraries: 8%
- Public libraries: 36%
- School libraries: 45%
- Special libraries: 10%
These agencies are members of 3 regional library systems and have a total of 5,033 registered branches.
| Library System | Academic Libraries | Public Libraries | School Libraries | Specialized Libraries |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago Public Library System (Chicago Public Library) | 0 | 81 | 0 | 0 |
| Illinois Heartland Library System (Southern and East-Central Illinois) | 75 | 246 | 913 | 27 |
| Reaching Across Illinois Library System (Northern and West-Central Illinois) | 160 | 487 | 2888 | 156 |
Librarians: A Vibrant & Sizable Profession
There are 127,790 librarians in the U.S. (Statista, 2021)
Compared to populations of U.S. cities:
- Asheville, NC: 94,000
- Aurora, IL: 179,000
- Bangor, ME: 32,000
- Champaign, IL: 89,000
- Charlottesville, VA: 46,000
- Librarians in the U.S.: 128,000
- Savannah, GA: 147,000
- Springfield, IL: 113,000
Source: Data Commons, 2021; Statista, 2021
The number of librarians in Illinois (10,110) is roughly comparable to the number of human resource professionals and dentists. Public librarians in Illinois provided approximately 1.5 million hours of service in 2021.
Number of people employed in Illinois:
- Physical therapists: 16,900
- Pharmacists: 14,800
- Hairdressers, stylists, and cosmetologists: 12,800
- Human resources: 12,200
- Librarians: 10,100
- Dentists: 9,500
- Speech pathologists: 8,700
- Dental hygienists: 7,600
- Pilots: 6,400
- Architects: 5,800
- Data scientists: 4,700
- Dieticians: 3,400
- Chemists: 3,100
- Public relations: 2,900
- Actors: 2,800
- Photographers: 1,700
- Musicians: 1,500
- Barbers: 600
- Aerospace engineers: 400
- Athletes: 300
Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics; data.illinois.gov; IPLAR, 2021