The Florida Department of State's Division of Library and Information Services commissioned the Haas Center for Business Research and Economic Development (Haas Center) at the University of West Florida to update the Florida public libraries return on investment study performed in 2004. The Haas Center found that for every tax dollar received, Florida public libraries in 2008 provided $8.32 in value.
Taxpayer Return on Investment in Florida Public Libraries >>
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The Florida Department of State's Division of Library and Information Services
"The Division of Library and Information Services is the designated information resource provider for the Florida Legislature and all state agencies. It also coordinates and helps to fund activities of public libraries, provides a framework for statewide library initiatives, provides archival and records management services, and preserves, collects, and makes available the published and unpublished documentary history of the state. " (source: Division of Library and Information Services)
The Haas Center
The Haas Center's primary mission is to collect, analyze, and disseminate information on the Florida business and economic environment. The Center provides high-quality data collection from a synthesis of multiple primary and secondary data sources and maintains over 10,000 data sets describing economic
activity and workforce issues.
"Indispensable, essential and important to a sense of community. The library is not just books and buildings, it is our cultural repository and vital for education. Without the library, the community would not be nearly as valuable and livable."
- Library Survey Respondent
Taxpayer Return on Investment in Florida Public Libraries was funded under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act, from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, administered by the Florida Department of State, Division of Library and Information Services.
