Analyzing the Public Value of Public Libraries with the Community Capitals Framework

Beyond financial ROI, have you ever wondered how to measure your public library's broader impacts to society? This program will introduce you to a method for evaluating the public value of a public library using the community capitals framework. The community capitals framework measures the assets of a community across seven dimensions of value: natural, cultural, social, human, political, financial, and built capitals. Social capital is particularly important to the framework because it is the “glue” that brings people together within the community and that connects them with resources and organizations outside the community. Yet, research shows that community members tend to recognize public libraries as human capital (i.e., knowledge and education) but not as social capital, and it is likely that many do not recognize their public libraries in the context of community capitals at all. This is problematic because when the social capital value of an organization goes unrecognized, so does its overall value to the community. In this highly interactive program, you will have the chance to put ideas into action and use tools like ripple effect mapping and causal loop diagramming to identify gaps and strengths in the social capital of your public library. You will leave the program with the ability to develop public value statements that reflect your library's broader impacts to society.