The Chelmsford Library was recognized by EBSCO Publishing with the Library Customer Success Award.

EBSCO serves many libraries across the country, and has been compiling “success stories” of libraries performing and outstanding role in the field. In this case, Chelmsford won the award for Library Advocacy, for sharing the Library Use Value Calculator with other libraries.

The calculator was adopted for our website based on an idea from the Massachusetts Library Association. It is a tool that easily lets library patrons calculate the value of their library use – in other words, how much they would have to pay retail for the services they enjoy through the library.

When the economic downturn caused many state and municipal budgets to be cut, libraries across the country added the Library Use Value Calculator to their websites, and encouraged patrons to see how much money using the library was saving them. Libraries could then use this interaction to defend their budgets, to ensure they could continue to serve their communities.

The Chelmsford Library is honored to be recognized as a Library Advocacy success story, and the award itself will soon be hung on display in the library. Chelmsford’s success story [pdf] is available on the EBSCO Customer Success Center website.