IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/aea/aejpol/v16y2024i2p78-109.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The Returns to Public Library Investment

Author

Listed:
  • Gregory Gilpin
  • Ezra Karger
  • Peter Nencka

Abstract

Local governments spend over $12 billion annually funding the operation of 15,427 public libraries in the United States, yet we know little about their effects. We use data describing the near universe of public libraries to show that public library capital investment increases library visits, children's attendance at library events, and children's circulation by an average of 5–15 percent in the years following investment. Increases in library use translate into improved test scores in nearby school districts: a $200 or greater per student capital investment in local public libraries increases reading test scores by 0.01–0.04 standard deviations in subsequent years.

Suggested Citation

  • Gregory Gilpin & Ezra Karger & Peter Nencka, 2024. "The Returns to Public Library Investment," American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, American Economic Association, vol. 16(2), pages 78-109, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:aea:aejpol:v:16:y:2024:i:2:p:78-109
    DOI: 10.1257/pol.20210300
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.aeaweb.org/doi/10.1257/pol.20210300
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://doi.org/10.3886/E190961V1
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.aeaweb.org/doi/10.1257/pol.20210300.appx
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.aeaweb.org/doi/10.1257/pol.20210300.ds
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to AEA members and institutional subscribers.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1257/pol.20210300?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • G31 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Capital Budgeting; Fixed Investment and Inventory Studies
    • H75 - Public Economics - - State and Local Government; Intergovernmental Relations - - - State and Local Government: Health, Education, and Welfare
    • I21 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Analysis of Education
    • L86 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Services - - - Information and Internet Services; Computer Software

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:aea:aejpol:v:16:y:2024:i:2:p:78-109. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Michael P. Albert (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/aeaaaea.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.