Attention Library Lovers: Our economic impact survey will be officially closed on Monday, August 23, so if you haven't yet filled it out, now's your chance! (And if you have, many thanks!) By taking just a few minutes, you can help us illustrate how truly valuable the Free Library of Philadelphia is to our community.

Our President and Director, Siobhan A. Reardon, wrote a powerful op-ed for the Philadelphia Inquirer this week about the Library's economic impact on the city as well as the importance of this survey. As she says in her op-ed:

"People who work in or patronize the city's library branches can tell you they know in their gut that the library is building literacy and learning and having a direct economic impact. But in these challenging times, when all institutions are being asked to prove their worth and relevance, we at the Free Library of Philadelphia have set out to give the city real, hard numbers that show the return on investment in libraries."

Read the entire op-ed here: http://www.philly.com/inquirer/opinion/20100819_Measuring_libraries__impact.html