Why this number matters, and what it means in terms of annual funding
By Sam Guerrero
BARTOW– Card holders for the Bartow County Library System (BCLS) make up 48%, less than half of the county’s population, according to annual reports submitted to the Georgia Public Library Service.
The map below shows the three locations for the BCLS (click inside the gray area for the latest information in regards to local and state funding).
When comparing 48% to the total number of Georgians who have a library card (40.3%), this number doesn’t seem so off base.
However, library systems are non-profit organizations that financially depend on state and local funding to provide the public with free services.
Libraries are not moneymaking businesses that look at their yearly sales to measure out their success or profits. Instead, they look at things like the number of people who registered for a library card and the number of items that were checked out.
The numbers speak for themselves when it comes to decision-making processes and advocacy campaigns. They are crucial pieces of data that can be used to show local donors the significance of each library or persuade local officials from reducing the library’s budget the following year.
“Georgia is the only state that provides grants that are specifically designated for the salaries of professional librarians, thus ensuring that each system is administered and led by licensed librarians,” stated in the Georgia Library Law section of the FY 2020 report.
The value each librarian has in his/her community is reflected in the value each library card has in its institution.
By signing up for a library card not only do you have access to the services listed below, but also you are implicitly contributing and advocating for the funding of your library.
Your Library Card Gives You Access to:
- 150,000+ free books, audiobooks, movies, magazines, CDs
- Print, Copy & Fax Services
- Computers with internet access
- Local research materials & assistance
- GALILEO- Georgia’s Virtual Library
- MANGO languages
- ABC Mouse For Kids
