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econometric model. The conclusion is that all taxpayers benefit from public <br /> libraries through their contribution to education,the economy,tourism, <br /> retirement, and quality of life. Overall Florida's public libraries return $6.54 for <br /> every$1.00 invested from all sources; the Pennsylvania ROI in public libraries is <br /> 5.5 to 1.45 <br /> We used this knowledge base to develop three principles as the basis of our <br /> recommendations for library service in Orange County: <br /> 1. a regional approach <br /> 2. collaborative county-wide planning <br /> 3. a 3-5 year plan to address immediate needs. <br /> Using the first principle,we recommend that the county adopt a regional approach to <br /> library service. This translates to main libraries in Hillsborough and Chapel Hill and <br /> geographically located branches elsewhere,plus a Heritage Center in Hillsborough..Your <br /> acceptance of the attached facility requirements and the capital investment in the new <br /> main library building are steps in the fulfillment of this recommendation. The next step <br /> would be consolidation of the two small Carrboro facilities in a Southwest Branch, <br /> followed by a North/West expansion of the Northern Branch in Cedar Grove and the <br /> establishment of a West County Branch in Efland. Please see attachment(1) for a chart <br /> comparing where we are now to the recommendations of the 4-year-old 2004 facilities <br /> plan. <br /> The second principle is continued growth in collaborative county-wide planning. The <br /> planning process underlying the several task forces has fostered a cooperative approach. <br /> The acceptance of a county library standard moves us forward on this goal. Attachment <br /> (2) shows what has been accomplished and what remains to be done in the achievement <br /> of this standard. Future initiatives, such as courier service among all the libraries and <br /> interoperability of online public access catalogs, for example, are possible next steps. We <br /> recommend that the county investigate the advantages and disadvantages of a jointly <br /> operated technical support system using a common online public access catalog (OPAC) <br /> by engaging an expert to conduct a study of costs and alternatives. . <br /> The third principle we recommend is the development of a 3-5 year plan to address <br /> immediate needs. We recommend ongoing reviews of progress and plans using the two <br /> attached standards for facilities and services with consideration for changes in technology <br /> and current best practices, and information reports to the county commissioners. <br /> 4 Griffiths,Jose-Marie;Donald W.King,Christinger Tomer,Thomas Lynch;Julie Harrington(2004). <br /> Taxpayer Return on Investment in Florida Public Libraries:Summary Report. Funded by the Institute of <br /> Museum and Library Services and administered by the Florida Dept.of State,State Library.and Archives <br /> of Florida. Accessed 4/28/2008 from http://dlis.dos.state.fl.us/bid/roi/pdfs/ROISummaryReport.pdf. <br /> Griffiths,Jose-Marie;Donald W.King and Sarah Aemi(2006). Taxpayer Return-on-Investment(ROI)in <br /> Pennsylvania Public Libraries. Funded by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Accessed 4/28/2008 <br /> from http://www.statelibrary.state.pa.us/libraries/lib/libraries/paroireportfinal7.pdf. <br /> 2 <br />