Institute of Museum and Library Services statistician Justin Grimes mapped all 17,000 public libraries in the United States, revealing the reach of our library system. Atlantic Cities has the scoop:
If you have ever felt overwhelmed by the ubiquity of McDonald’s, this stat may make your day: There are more public libraries (about 17,000) in America than outposts of the burger mega-chain (about 14,000). The same is true of Starbucks (about 11,000 coffee shops nationally).
Follow this link to see the complete Google Map Grimes created.
Americans value libraries too. A Pew study recently discovered that 94 percent of American parents agree that “libraries are important for their children.”
(Via Andrew Kessler)