In response to President Trump’s proposed 2018 budget, cutting all funding for the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) and other cultural organizations (Corporation for Public Broadcasting, National Endowments for the Arts and Humanities), Margaret Willison presented an impassioned case for libraries and IMLS in a March 20, 2017, article in Cosmopolitan Magazine titled What Donald Trump Doesn’t Understand About Libraries.

In this article, Willison cites a key finding of Public Libraries–A Wise Investment, the March 2009 CLOSER LOOK Report from the Library Research Service.  In that study, we found that the return-on-investment of Colorado public libraries was $5 of value for every $1 invested in our state’s public libraries.

It was pleasing to see this important study cited again for the first time in a while–and most likely in its most popular appearance in the print media.

I remember fondly working on this study with my colleagues Nicolle Steffen, Zeth Lietzau, Amanda Rybin, and Carla Molliconi.

It is an excellent example of the very relevant, practical research long conducted by the Library Research Service, which celebrates its 30th anniversary as of July 2017.