2006 Awards for Excellence

Citation

(2006), "2006 Awards for Excellence", New Library World, Vol. 107 No. 11/12. https://doi.org/10.1108/nlw.2006.072107kaa.002

2006 Awards for Excellence

The following article was selected for this year’s Outstanding Paper Award for New Library World

‘‘Are public libraries worth their price? A contingent valuation study of Norwegian public libraries’’

Svanhild AabøOslo University College, Oslo, Norway

Purpose – The paper reports from a valuation study of the Norwegian public libraries, aiming to provide a better understanding of their total value, both use and non-use value, as viewed by the population. An objective was to explore whether or not the citizens found that their benefits outweighed the costs to provide them.

Design/methodology/approach – The study applies the contingent valuation method, developed in economics to valuate non-market goods. Contingent valuation is based on representative questionnaire surveys and has been used to valuate several cultural goods, including a few library valuation studies.

Findings – The empirical data based on a representative population sample demonstrates that the value of the Norwegian public libraries decidedly outweigh their costs. Elicitation of the population’s awareness of property rights to their local library showed that an overwhelming majority of the population (94 per cent) perceive they have such rights. The valuation result indicates that the benefits from the public libraries are four times their costs.

Research limitations/implications – The method is based on hypothetical markets. More contingent valuation studies of libraries are necessary to refine the measure instruments. The study explores the benefit-cost relation at the national level. Further research is needed for studying the benefit-cost relation at the municipal level.

Practical implications – The findings can be used as one way of documenting the value of public libraries to politicians, local authorities and the general public.

Originality/value – This appears to be the first contingent valuation study of public libraries at a national level, in Norway and internationally.

Keywords Cost benefit analysis, Norway, Public libraries

This article originally appeared in Volume 106 Number 11/12, 2005, New Library World