News
Social value of Suffolk’s libraries quantified
Independent research commissioned by Suffolk Libraries estimates that every £1 spent on just three of Suffolk Libraries’ services creates £8.04 in ‘social value’. The report highlights “the vital and previously unseen contribution libraries make to people’s lives in the county, saving the public and organisations millions of pounds a year.”
The study focused on three of Suffolk Libraries’ activities – early years sessions for under-fives (Baby Bounce and Tot Rock), Top Time sessions for older people and Open Space groups and surmised that just these three activities generated around £2m of social value every year.
The researchers, Moore Kingston Smith, calculate social value through calculations based on the potential cost of alternative services or activities which people might have to pay for to get the same result as visiting a free library activity, taking account of the cost of running the library session.