ECONOMIC VITALITY: How Libraries Can Play a Key Role

It is no myth that when major corporations consider a new business location the presence of a good library is one of the indicators they use in determining the local quality of life. If community services are not sufficiently attractive, corporations like IBM and AT&T may look elsewhere to avoid the difficulties in attracting a first‐rate work force. At the other extreme, it is not news that when the economic base erodes, demands for information often increase as the jobless or dislocated seek assistance in discovering new employment opportunities. But until the 1980s the library has, for the most part, failed to capitalize on its importance to community economic vitality.