A SMART INVESTMENT

PA Public Libraries

PA’s 630 library outlets, serving 12 million citizens, provide a return on

investment of $5.50 in benefits

for every $1 of tax support.This study was commissioned by the PA Department of Education’s

Office of Commonwealth Libraries, in collaboration with the PA Library Association, to determine the economic benefit of public libraries in Pennsylvania.

If we didn’t have public libraries, the economic loss would

amount to $1.34 billion annually.

Of 9.1 million adults in PA,

51.6% visited a public library in person

during a year's time; 13.2% connected with one online.

PA Public libraries reported

40.8 million in-person visits in the year prior to the study.

Libraries can save the average resident

hundreds of dollars every year as a place where resources are shared.

PCL COMPARISON NOW

HOW DOES PCL STACK UP TODAY?

The Parkland region has the 2nd largest school

district in Lehigh County with the smallest library (9 of 9) in both space and materials per capita.

SMALLEST

PCL COMPARISON OVER TIME

YearLibrary Square Footage

Population Growth

1981 5,400 sq. ft. 32,000

2013 5,400 sq. ft. 56,000

2040 TBD 89,000* (est.)

*Source - Lehigh Valley Planning Commission

> Senior citizens> Teenagers> Mothers & children > College students> Unemployed residents> Disadvantaged residents > English as a Second

Language residents

WHO USES LIBRARIES?

EVERYONE!

Current Size

The Walbert Avenue

library is 1/5 the size for aptly serving the Parkland population today.

PCL TODAY

> The library cannot accommodate wheelchairs.

> Bathrooms are not ADA compliant.

> Narrow aisles are difficult to navigate.

> No community meeting space.

> Not enough computers.

LIMITED ACCESS

> More than 7,000 items in storage.

> More space for shelving offers patrons greater choice.

LACK OF STORAGE & SHELVING

LONG WAITING TIME

4-6 weeks for best sellers

UNDER-RESOURCED

Library Population Total Items Items per capita

Emmaus 21,777 99,375 4.6

Whitehall 26,768 103,933 3.88

Parkland 54,946 82,508 1.50

> Restricts programming.

> No meeting space for community meetings.

LACK OF MEETING SPACE

> 22 spaces total

> One space per 1,000 members

> No room for expansion

POOR PARKING

NO space for:

> Networking> Training > Tech research > Unemployed groups> Small businesses> Specialized information

programs

RESTRICTED COMMUNITY SERVICES

OUR ONLY OPTION

Build a new, larger library.