The impact of library closures on student achievement

Abstract

I examine the relationship between public library closures and student achievement. Previous studies have focused on improvements to library services; however, the reverse relationship has been overlooked. Using data from the Public Library Survey and Stanford Education Data Archive, I calculate the impact of closures on reading and mathematics test scores for grades 3-8. I estimate that average reading test scores decrease by 0.021 standard deviations while math test scores decrease by 0.034. Impacts vary by gender with males experiencing on average a 0.01 standard deviation larger impact than females across both reading and math. Elementary school students experience larger impacts to math scores than middle school students, however no differences in reading. Additionally, racial minorities only experience an effect in math scores. These results show that even with policy makers best efforts to limit the impacts of closures through library outlet selection and alternative services, closures are still having a profound impact on students. In addition, library spending is not falling after a closure, indicating that the costs of closures far out way any possible benefits. Further research should explore additional community areas impacted by closures to provide policymakers with a comprehensive understanding of the costs associated with library outlet closures.