Estimates of the impact of libraries on reading in eight villages in Burkina Faso and costs of running libraries enable us to suggest that the cost of getting an extra book read a year varies from $.74 to $1.30, according to the size of the school in the village, and the cost of an extra school...

"This book investigates the relationship between local libraries and community development, from the historical roots of rural libraries to their influence on the literacy, economy, and culture of the surrounding region"--Provided by publisher.

The period 1870-1930 witnessed the emergence of the local public library as a widespread and enduring American institution. During these years, access to free community-based library services spread to a much larger share of the U.S. population, while the institutional structure of local...