From WOOD COUNTY DISTRICT PUBLIC LIBRARY
In early 2016, the Ohio Library Council commissioned a report titled “The Return on Investment of Ohio’s Public Libraries and a Comparison with Other States” by Howard Fleeter and Associates from Columbus, Ohio.
Using 2014 figures, this report found that “public library services in Ohio are worth nearly $2.7 billion in direct economic value.”
When this economic benefit was compared to statewide total operating expenditures, the Return on Investment (ROI) was 3.89 – in other words: for every $1.00 spent by libraries, $3.89 in benefit was delivered to Ohio residents.
Finally, when economic multiplier effects were included, each $1.00 spent by libraries returned a total economic value of $5.48 to Ohioans.
The OLC ROI Formula was last updated in early 2025 by economist Howard Fleeter for the Ohio Library Council.
WCDPL just used a 2025 update to the OLC formula with 2024 numbers:
- For 2024 the total direct ROI for WCDPL was $3.96 in benefit for each $1.00 spent, or $3,110,615 spent in 2024 yielded a direct ROI of $12,307,951.
- When economic multiplier effects are included, each $1 spent by WCDPL returned a total economic value of $5.21 to its citizens, or $3,110,615 spent in 2024 yielded a total economic value of $16,198,495.
