Libraries are often identified as a discretionary service, but during the economic crisis libraries have been first responders, providing services that are central to e-government, economic growth, and workforce development.

Is your local government getting a good return on investment by using its library strategically? The September PM cover story, “Public Libraries Daring to be Different,” written by Molly Donelan, former ICMA staff member and now a master’s student at Tufts University, and Liz Miller, ICMA’s public library innovations senior technical adviser and consultant, Tucson, Arizona, provides the stories of nine local governments that engaged their libraries in creative solutions to community challenges involving public safety, emergency management, the environment, economic development, early childhood literacy, teen services, and cultural engagement.

The article includes information on these projects:

 

 

Fayetteville, Arkansas: Solar Test Bed Project (Library Budget: $3,790,929).

Fairfax County, Virginia: Changing Lives Through Literature (Library Budget: $26,035,911).

Miami, Oklahoma: Miami Native American Language, Culture, and Empowerment Center (Library Budget: $339,741).

Georgetown County, South Carolina: Hurricane Project (Library Budget: $1,092,355).

Pendleton, Oregon: Wired for Safety (Library Budget: $688,000).

Rockbridge County Regional Library/Buena Vista, Virginia: Training and Call Center (Library Budget: $1,386,733).

Dallas, Texas: Every Child Ready to Read @ Dallas (Library Budget: $17,000,000).

Iowa City, Iowa: ECO Iowa City (Library Budget: $5,363,000).

Santa Ana, California: Connect/Conectate!: Connecting Yourself with Your Future—Conectate Con Tu Futuro (Library Budget: $3,293, 388).