©
2009 META
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META is a multi-year research project begun in the fall of 2008 to provide:
Over
the past several years, many studies of the economic impact of
libraries
have been performed both in the U.S. and abroad. Almost all of
these studies concentrated on two basic questions:
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Whether
there is evidence that public libraries contribute to the economic
prosperity of the communities they serve; and
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How
these benefits might be reliably characterized.
These studies
show considerable diversity in the populations studied and the
methodologies used.
The META project differs significantly
from prior studies, while making
extensive use of their findings. First, the META project
has a broad scope that is neither population nor geographically specific.
Second, rather than collecting new data, the META
project uses meta-analysis
techniques to draw conclusions developed by integrating the results of
prior studies and probing them for patterns that will:
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Improve
our understanding of the economic effects of public library services;
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Point
out weaknesses and strengths of the methodologies used in earlier
studies;
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Contribute
to theory development about the economic benefits of public libraries.
Last
updated 03/29/2013
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