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Focus on the Silver Lining

The annual State of America’s Libraries Report, released this week by the American Library Association, confirms that public library usage is still on the rise, while library budgets are either stagnant or declining. As a result, libraries are being continually challenged to provide more with less, and to be creative in how they move forward. While we agree that this outlook is not ideal, we must all see the silver lining. For example, the fact that Americans are discovering or rediscovering their local library is a great thing. Also, since public libraries are on the front lines of recession recovery by helping people get back to work and reeducate themselves, community leaders may gain more insight into the immense value of libraries.

Read the full State of America’s Libraries Report.

April 14, 2010 ala, news, report