The infographic was created by H&R Block, an online tax filing and tax software company. It is full of interesting info about libraries in the United States.
The facts and figures were found on American Library Association or Library of Congress sites, so many people may be familiar with them already.
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However, the facts are displayed here in a very concise and to-the-point way. Plus, what I like even more, the creators used meaningful comparisons to provide library figures (McDonald’s and sweets, among others).
These numbers are definitely worth sharing. The most interesting facts are listed below:
- there are 121,000 libraries of all kinds in the United States, according to ALA,
- there are still more public libraries than McDonald’s restaurants (16,766 vs 14,157),
- The Library of Congress is the largest library in the world, with over 158 million items collected,
- Old King Cole is the smallest book to be found in the American library. It’s 1/25 of an inch square,
- every year, Americans spend three times more money on candy than on public libraries,
- $31 is the average yearly cost per tax payer for libraries and their services,
- 58% of adults own a library card,
- an average library patron checks out 7 books per year,
- 54% of people look in the library for books and other media; 51% for quiet place; 44% for librarians’ help.
A Spanish language version of this wonderful infographic is available at H&R Block Blog.
Click or tap the image below to explore it in full resolution.
Check out recent posts about libraries:
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