UPI - U.S. researchers say a study of 22 U.S. states and a Canadian province shows when funding support for school libraries rises, reading and testing scores go up. Researchers at Mansfield University in Pennsylvania say the study contradicts an article of faith among critics of public schools that there is no correlation between spending and learning outcomes, a university release reported last week.The High Cost Of Closing Public Libraries - Government budget cuts, at all levels, can have tragic effects. It will take us a long time to recover from the damage the current cuts have done and will do. There are many vital public services – such as health care, aid to the homeless, and schools – that we must do our utmost to protect. But, at least for me, there are few cuts more bothersome than the closing of public libraries.
Sadly, these closings are happening all over the nation, including California, New York, Ohio, Michigan and elsewhere.
At the same time, use of libraries has been increasing for years. In 2008, according to the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the average person visited a public library 5.1 times, an increase of almost 20 percent since 1999. Of course, this use is not equally distributed – some people visit regularly, while others not at all.
In part, this is because many low-income Americans rely on libraries, not only for books and periodicals, but as their primary source of internet access. As a result, the number of computers in public libraries has almost doubled since 2000.
Read more from Matthew Di Carlo
Why we need public libraries
