How much does it cost?

Libraries are expensive.

There, I said it.

The amount of money it takes to not only put in a library, but to keep it up to date and running, is incredibly high.

Libraries, unfortunately, are not a one-and-done purchase.

This is why the schools in Philadelphia do not have libraries - or have libraries that are 20 years old.

So, the next question is: why?

Sure, books are expensive. But people walk into book stores in every city in this country and think nothing of buying a new hardback book for upwards of $30 (well, maybe that new paperback for $16).

So, here's some math. Let's imagine that a book costs $10. Our school has 1,000 students. A functional library has 12 to 15 books per student.

1000students x 12books per student x $10 = $120,000

Now, you have a great library.

But, you also need to staff it. In a perfect world, the library would be staffed by a certified librarian. So, for year 1, we can add $50,000.

$170,000 = Year 1 operating expense

As you enter the second year though, there will be costs. There are new books that come out, books are lost or stolen or damaged and need to be replaced, maybe a teacher wants to teach a unit on a subject the library doesn't currently have books on. And, oh yeah, we need to pay the librarian again.

Assuming the books are still $10, and we will need to buy 2,000 books, and the librarian's salary goes up $1,000.

2,000books x $10per book + $51,000salary = $71,000 is the Year 2 operating expense


Now, obviously missing is any budget for the librarian to hold book clubs, or do any special events in his or her library (which are equally important as the books!!).

You can see how quickly it can all rack up, and how, in short order, the Philadelphia School District with over 250 schools could no longer support libraries.

A little note though - obviously books that are purchased for schools or districts can be purchased in bulk, reducing the price some more. I am going to purchase books for Rowen from Scholastic, who offers the books at a significantly reduced price (try $4 per book!!).


My point merely is to illustrate why it is so hard for the District to keep up with school libraries, and why our school libraries need our support. We can't wait on the school district to make the change.