Spending More On Libraries Has Increased Selection, But Not Satisfaction

October 18, 2011

Over the last 10 years, San Francisco city government spending on libraries has increased roughly 20 percent and the number of volumes in City libraries has risen by nearly 60 percent. This is clear from the screenshot below from the California Common Sense San Francisco data transparency portal (a series of interactive data visualizations that help San Franciscans to understand their governments’ finances).

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However, another screenshot below also shows that San Francisco residents’ satisfaction with libraries has remained constant or fallen slightly.

Thanks to this new tool for government transparency, you can see what you are paying for and getting from government. Now that you can see the data, what do you think about spending and outcomes for libraries in San Francisco? How can we make increased spending better track increased customer satisfaction?

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