I do not believe you can put a money value on what functions a library does in a single community. A library provides avenues of information for potential job seekers especially with respect to information about potential employers, schools and universities one might attend, tax break information, etc. It also increases literacy of those kids who use libraries after school and during summer vacations. Many library systems have extensive DVD, CD, audiobook, e-Book, and other collections which save many citizens the cost of buying these items. Many libraries have programs for kids offering story tellers, sleep overs in libraries for teens, teen activities like trivia hunts, etc.
I just do not think libraries should be privatized. They serve a critical role in many communities.
I am biased as I have a MA in Librarianship and Information Management from the University of Denver (Class of Spring 1984) and have worked or volunteered in a number of different libraries including public libraries in MN, FL, and CO; a law library in MN; and an academic library in Colorado. I have used libraries heavily in Nevada, Arizona, California, Minnesota, Illinois, Florida, and Colorado since I was 17 or so.
I have also been involved heavily in improving the situation of survivors/victims of crimes through better access for practical information since 1992 and received 24 nominations to Marquis Who's Who volumes from 1992 or so through 2002. I tried to have some kind of affect on the holdings of every library in the US going through various associations. I do not believe a victim/survivor of crime should be alone on the Internet looking for this kind of information and libraries should have links to support groups that help people in this situation.
I used the identifiers 224 and 613 in telling my story since mid 1993 to many using whatever means at my disposal as my interest in helping survivors/victims of crimes is rooted in my own experiences with a conspiracy involving two murders one of which occurred near the University of Nevada, Reno campus on my birthday of 2-24 in 1976. This was the murder of my then high school English teacher's daughter Michelle Mitchell on 2-24. It also involves my experiences at 3 law school libraries starting at Brigham Young in 1982, through the University of Denver in 1983-1984 and the University of Minnesota from 1986 through late 1991.
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