Texas libraries make “significant” contributions to the state’s economy, according to a recently released study.
The research — conducted by JBK Economics Group on behalf of the Texas Library Association — found that every dollar allocated to a Texas library generates almost $5 in resources for the community.
Analysts identified about $2.5 billion in “economic value of library services” by tallying up the value of programs, library materials, computers, databases and other resources that libraries put at Texans’ fingertips. Libraries produce about $1.4 billion in economic activity because of public library spending and create more than $3.8 billion in total economic benefits, according to the report.
Much of the study is rooted in fiscal year 2024 data from the Texas State Library and Archive Commission, though the analysis was conducted in the spring and early summer of this year.
Half of the roughly 300 library directors surveyed for the study earlier this year said their systems provided programs and workshops for business-related skills, including searching for a job or preparing a resume, developing marketing materials and conducting research on business and the economy.
“This research confirms what library professionals have known for years — Texas libraries are indispensable,” Texas Library Association Executive Director Shirley Robinson said in a statement. “From rural communities to urban centers, libraries deliver real, measurable value to the people they serve. This initiative gives us the data to prove it.”
The findings were unveiled the day before City Council adopted a $4.4 billion budget that slashed dozens of positions out of the San Antonio library system. The city raised property taxes for the first time in 34 years and cut $40 million out of the budget for fiscal year 2027, which starts Oct. 1, to help eliminate a $158 million deficit over the next two years. More cuts and property tax rate hikes are slated for fiscal year 2028.
Twenty-seven library aide and 12 circulation attendant positions were eliminated. Aides mainly focus on shelving, sorting and organizing books and other materials. Attendants help visitors pay fees, get library cards and check out items.
Shifting visitor habits drove the change, city officials said throughout the budget season. Digital circulation has skyrocketed by 161% since fiscal year 2019, but circulation of books, movies and other materials dropped 40% in the same period.
The city didn’t lay off any workers. Affected employees were offered other jobs.
Fourteen people stayed in the library system and eight were moved to jobs that paid the same in the Department of Human Services, City Manager Erik Walsh told council members last week. The other 17 cut positions were vacant.
The move sparked a backlash from union library staffers and community members who feared a reduction in programming, though department officials said services won’t be affected.
Union library workers who spoke to the San Antonio Express-News on the condition of anonymity worried the change could result in an unmanageable workload. They said branches typically ask for more workers, not fewer, and said that many branches already feel short-staffed because of existing vacancies.
Several City Council members and Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones pushed for library staffing to be restored, but their requests never made it across the finish line. Saving the jobs would have cost more than $946,000.