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Building on a growing body of research that studies the impact of cultural organizations on social wellbeing, The Northern New York Library Network in Potsdam, NY will conduct a three-year national research project, Libraries in Community Systems, to create a clearer understanding of the unique role public and tribal libraries play within community systems, and how this role can be maximized for improved social wellbeing outcomes.

Economic valuations of public libraries have historically focused on the exchange between the library and the local market economy-impact on local economic activity, cost savings to patrons through resource sharing, and so on-often ignoring non-monetized social goods. This research will take an approach which allows for the valuation of non-market services and social return.

Wellbeing is a composite of many elements-physical and mental health, economic security, school effectiveness, cultural engagement, political voice, etc.-that amounts to people having what economist Amartya Sen describes as "the freedom to lead lives they have reason to value." Those elements can be connected to indicators captured in data. This research will develop tools that map relevant data and inputs to assess the impact of library services on those broad social outcomes. Principal Investigator Margo Gustina, librarian and economics PhD candidate at the University of New Mexico, explained "By the time this project ends, the library field will have tools to measure what their libraries produce, and they can pursue partnerships and programming with vision and confidence."

The project will work with 32 libraries in four states-Alaska, Georgia, New York, and Texas-through August of 2024 to generate valuation models of library service in terms of social wellbeing outcomes. 

More details, contact information, and a registration form to follow updates about this research can be found at https://nnyln.org/about/imls-research21-24. This work is funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services.