Beyond the Books is an important text to read for anyone who is interested in or cares about our libraries and our cultural institutions. Using the Library of South Australia as a case study Heather Robinson examines how the library is valued by individuals and the community and asks how can we better measure and articulate the value of cultural institutions.
Beyond the Books contains a treasure trove of insights from qualitative research that build our comprehension of the richness, enduring importance and preciousness of our libraries and cultural institutions, that bring us together as a community and connect us to the past, the present, and make us think about what we will pass on to future generations.
In an environment of budget cuts and numeric, dollar measures of value that often aren’t fit for purpose Beyond the Books offers clear evidence of the importance of our cultural institutions to community members.
This thought provoking book is well worth the exploration.