Economic Development and the Public Libraries: Perspectives on the Impact of an LSCA-Funded Research Project

This article describes the outcomes and impact of an LSCA Title I grant project titled "Economic Development and the Public Library" conducted by the Lincoln Trail Libraries System (LTLS) in 1988-1989. The project's main goals were to conduct a market research study of the issues surrounding public library involvement in economic development activities in their local communities. A professional market research firm was contracted to develop and conduct the field research for the project. In-depth interviews were conducted in 10 Illinois communities with public library staff, local government officials, economic development specialists and other community leaders. Libraries describing themselves as "active" and "not active" in local economic development efforts were included in the sample. A simple self-administered survey tool, the "Economic Development Activity (EDA) Score," was developed and administered to 100 randomly selected Illinois public libraries, resulting in the collection of a baseline core of data reflecting the perceived level of library involvement in economic development activities among Illinois public libraries in 1989. A statewide workshop was conducted to disseminate the results of the research, and an 80-page publication formally documenting the research findings was produced.

This article places the project in the context of the recently-ended federal Library Services and Construction Act (LSCA) grant program and asserts the value of research-oriented grants based on their wide impact and long term potential for influencing changes in the attitudes and actions of library practitioners.

Introduction

The basic premise for the LTLS project on Economic Development and the Public Library described in this article can be stated quite succinctly. Communities all over the state are engaged in economic development initiatives designed to attract new businesses, retain existing businesses and encourage the formation of local small start-up business. This is an information-intensive activity from the point of view of the city or town seeking to present itself as an attractive place for business. Libraries are by definition in the information business and, therefore, have a unique opportunity and obligation to be of service in support of such economic development activities.

Today we take for granted the notion that a proactive public library should attempt to position itself to play a central role in support of the economic well-being of its community. Successful libraries acknowledge their role in the economic development arena through their policies, services to the business and economic development communities, and a positive attitude on the part of staff and trustees that the public library can make a unique contribution as part of a community-wide economic development effort.

But only a few short years ago it was not common to see Illinois public libraries taking an active role in the economic development activities of their communities. It is only in the past decade that Illinois public libraries have developed a widespread awareness of their potential role in the economic development of their communities. Much has changed in the consciousness and attitudes of the Illinois public library community in the years since Illinois public librarian W. Randall Wilson (Parlin Ingersoll Library, Canton) exhorted his colleagues to "...assume a more positive, aggressive posture as partners in economic development" (1) in the pages of the March 15,1986, issue of Library Journal. The activities, tangible products and public attention concerning public library involvement in economic development generated by the LTLS grant project described in this article played an important part in the changes in awareness, attitude and action among Illinois public libraries in the past decade.

In 1988-89 an LSCA Title I grant was awarded to Lincoln Trail Libraries System titled "Economic Development and the Public Library." The goals of the grant were top conduct basic research on the impact of public library involvement in local economic development activities,

*Joe Sciacca, Consultant, Lincoln Trail Libraries System, Champaign.

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to identify specific opportunities for increased public library activity in this area, and to disseminate the results to the Illinois library community. LTLS contracted with the Chicago market research firm Sorkin-Enenstein Research Services, Inc. for the design of the survey instruments, the conduct of more than 50 in-depth interviews and more than 100 brief telephone interviews, and the analysis of the survey data. The project produced a significant body of data on many aspects of public library involvement in economic development, an 80-page printed manual, a statewide workshop, and other tangible results that contributed to raising the level of awareness of this important public library issue.

The project was conducted at a time when little was known about public library involvement in economic development: few libraries were actively engaged in local economic development activities, there was little recognition of library efforts in this area, and no known research of the type called for in this project had been conducted.

The project used a simple concept that had proven successful in previous LSCA grant projects conducted by LTLS in the years immediately preceding this project. System staff conceptualized the broad parameters of the project, identifying the need, scope and expected applicability of the results. LTLS contracted with a professional market survey research firm to conduct the actual research. System staff worked extensively with the research firm staff, providing what amounted to a "crash course" in the library-specific issues involved as well as other vital insights and information specific to the library context for the project. These efforts involved intensive meetings, briefings and detailed feedback as drafts of the survey design and draft questions were developed by the research team. The project brought together the special research skills of a professional research firm with the in-depth library knowledge of the professional consulting staff of the library system.

A primary contribution of the project has been to provide a baseline core of research data about the ways in which public libraries could be involved in local economic development activity, and to provide a statewide forum for raising awareness among library staff and trustees of the benefits of increased library involvement in this arena. The LTLS project, along with related activities that followed, including individual library grant projects in support of economic development and the excellent work in training, supporting and encouraging public libraries in this area by the Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs at Western Illinois University, have given Illinois public libraries a supportive environment and a clear path to follow toward becoming more involved at the local level.

One measure of the transformation in the level of awareness and change in attitude towards public library activity in economic development in recent years it that it has become somewhat commonplace to hear of librarians working closely with local governing officials, small business owners, entrepreneurs and economic development agency officials, providing needed information in support of the economic advancement of their communities.

Impact of the Project

With the end of the LSCA grant program, it is proper to begin to reflect upon its impact in various areas of library development, both nationally and in Illinois. How can we evaluate the impact of the grant programs funded with LSCA dollars?

Critics of federal grant programs argue that grants often have little impact beyond the activities that take place during the grant period, or that grants are used to fund activities that, when funding ends, quickly disappear leaving little lasting trace of the project. While such examples may exist, the record in Illinois is replete with examples of LSCA projects with far-reaching and sustained impact long beyond the grant year in which they were introduced.

One noteworthy characteristic of the administration of LSCA funds by the Illinois State Library has been a commitment to the support of research-type projects as well as action-oriented projects. "Economic Development and the Public Library" is an example of such a research-based project. The project followed the pattern of similar research survey projects conducted by LTLS during the 1980s, each of which produced a significant printed manual documenting the results of the research process. These publications include Literacy and the Public Library (1983) (2), a publication of such national merit that it was reprinted by the American Library Association and became a major publication guiding libraries in building literacy programs The LTLS UntaxedArea Research Implementation Handbook (1985) (3), and A Market Research Study on Economic Development and the Public Library (1989) (4), the project described in this article.

These projects are characterized by the conduct of original research in a topic of significant importance to Illinois libraries. They each enhanced our knowledge of these topics and changed the way we viewed the issues involved and showed the way toward new roles or new modes of involvement for libraries. The contribution of such projects is that they have the potential to change attitudes and be a germination point of widespread grassroots activity following the project. Well-conceived and useful grant-supported research projects provide a sound foundation for libraries to develop action plans and raise the general level of awareness of the need for action in a particular area.

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Description of Survey Instruments

The research used in the project involved conducting in-depth interviews in 12 cities representing five selected matched pairs of public libraries consisting of one describing itself as "active" in economic development and one self-described as "not active." Regional library systems were asked to assist by nominating libraries for participation in the survey. More than 35 libraries were nominated and five pairs plus two additional "active" libraries were selected with geographic distribution over six regional library systems. In each city researchers interviewed individuals in several categories, including library staff, trustees, local governmental officials, economic development agency staff, a journalist, and a start-up business person. Following the in-depth interview phase, a shorter telephone interview format was developed and administered to 100 randomly selected library directors with quotas in broad population groupings and with geographic distribution covering 17 regional library systems (excluding Chicago). This phase was designed to measure the perceptions of respondents regarding the economic development activity in their community and their involvement in it.

Economic Development Activity (EDA) Score

An important outcome of the project was development of an objective measurement of the involvement of a public library in the economic development activity in their community (4, p. 22). This measurement instrument, named the Economic Development Activity (EDA) Score questionnaire, is a simple, self-administered questionnaire included as a component of the evaluation study. The project collected baseline data from 100 Illinois public libraries, enabling the instrument to be used by libraries with immediate comparisons of their scores to the quartile data scores of the random sample tested during the project. Using the EDA Score questionnaire, any library can easily determine its relative level of economic development activity as compared to its peer libraries based on population, budget level and annual receipts.

The Economic Development Activity (EDA) Score questionnaire contains question items in three broad areas. Questions relate to the self-commitment of the library staff and the board to a position of active involvement, the use of the library's resources by local business persons, and the library's connections to the formal economic development agencies operating in the community. A library's score on the six questions can range from 0 to 18 depending on the library's level of involvement in the various components.

The EDA questionnaire proved to be quite discriminating in describing differences among the test sample. Scores ranged from 0 to 17. The average score of all respondents was 10.8, with scores distributed evenly as follows: Scores from 14 to 18 = 1st Quartile, 12 to 13 = 2nd Quartile, 9 to 11 = 3rd Quartile, and 0 to 8 = 4th Quartile.

The results of the data collected from 100 public library directors during the project indicate that the Economic Development Activity (EDA) Score is an independent measure separate from and not predictable based on other available statistical data about public libraries. In other words, a library's EDA level cannot be predicted from other known statistics. This is a notable finding since it reinforces other conclusions reached during the project that being an active participant in economic development activities is a matter of personal initiative and having a positive attitude. Being actively involved does not depend on being in a large community, nor does it depend on having a budget of a particular size. This is a highly encouraging finding because it confirms the notion that libraries of any size are able to become actively involved in local efforts, as long as they make a clear commitment shared by the staff and Board to becoming active in this area.

The attitudinal components of the EDA Score also may be used as a blueprint for libraries seeking to become more actively involved in local economic development activities. Libraries with the lowest EDA scores (lowest current levels of activity) tend not to have internal planning documents and policies that explicitly mention the library's commitment to economic development. They tend not to be personally acquainted with key economic development officials, and they tend not to be involved in local meetings at which economic development issues are discussed. Also significant is the finding that library directors with the highest EDA scores (top quartile) are also those reporting the highest levels of desire to play an increasingly active role. This indicates that high levels of involvement in economic development activities is intrinsically rewarding to the participants in personal terms as well as in terms of a positive public image of the library.

Recommendations for Increased Involvement in Economic Development

This research points to a number of opportunities available to public libraries interested in increasing their role in support of local economic development activities.

First, it is clear that an internal commitment and positive attitude are important. Library administrators and governing officials should recognize their economic development mission and the role of the public library in support of local economic development in the library's policies and planning documents. The participation of staff in these activities should be formally endorsed and recognized.

Second, libraries making an effort in this area should be assertive in making known their contributions within the overall success of the community's economic development activities. If the library's work leads to the development of new business activity, the retention of existing

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businesses, the creation of new jobs, or creation of a new start-up company, the library should "keep score" and take credit for their contribution to the successful outcome.

Third, public libraries are uniquely positioned to support small business development due to their direct contact with local entrepreneurs and the small business community. The small business sector is well-known to be the main source for the creation of more new job opportunities in the U.S. than large companies. Therefore, the public library is in an excellent position to work with small business start-ups and expansions, activities with a high payoff potential in terms of job creation.

Fourth, the research showed clearly that even in 1989 most communities had some existing level of formal economic development infrastructure in place, usually an economic development corporation, or a chamber of commerce agency specifically charged with economic development promotion. In many cases there were multiple agencies operating within the same community, often duplicating efforts and acquiring the same reference materials. The interviews indicated strong support from local officials for the library to serve as a clearinghouse for information resources needed to support the overall community economic development effort.

Fifth, the research provided clear guidance regarding what the public library should not do. Formal economic development, defined as attracting major new business to locate or relocate in the community, is clearly perceived by local officials and economic development agency officials as a specialized activity within the exclusive purview of the formal economic development agencies. Public library efforts to become involved in this area, perhaps except in the usual case of a community without any existing economic development structure, would not be welcome. In any case, public libraries can be more helpful in other areas in which their unique expertise is more welcome.

Sixth, the public library should try to develop a basic business reference collection including materials useful to the business community. The research showed that many such materials are already commonly held by public libraries, and many are not expensive. Given the finding that many libraries already own many items identified as useful by the economic development community, many libraries are in a position to contribute in this area without a major additional budgetary investment.

Seventh, libraries should promote their natural amenities to the local business and economic development communities. Compared to local economic development offices, libraries are generally perceived to be better located, have more convenient hours, more adequate parking, more comfortable work space, and the availability of knowledgeable helpful staff. These amenities make the library an attractive place to be a community focal point for information for business and economic development purposes.

Conclusion

The public library has a clear opportunity to be a strong contributor in the economic prosperity of its community. The various activities appropriate to the natural mission and strengths of the public library described in this article and in the research manual from the project are highly rewarding to librarians which engage actively in local economic development efforts in terms of the library's public image as well as in terms of their contribution to the economic well-being of their community. Since the library's health is directly tied to the economic success of the community, the library may be motivated by self-interest as well as an interest in community service. In either case the benefits of a policy of active involvement by the library are well documented in the LSCA research project described in this article.

References

1. Wilson, W. Randall. "Partners in Economic Development." Library Journal, March 16, 1986, v.3 (5):32-34.

2. Johnson, Deborah W. Literacy and the Public Library: A Planning Manual. Lincoln TYail Libraries System Champaign, IL. 1983.

3. Lincoln Trail Libraries System. LTLS UntaxedArea Research Implementation Handbook. Champaign, IL. 1985.

4. Lincoln Trail Libraries System. A Market Study on Economic Development and the Public Library. Champaign, IL. 1989.

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