Why is this important?
Our residents place a priority on encouraging adults to read. However,
studies estimate that 20% of adults in Tuolumne County read at a
very low functional level. Research confirms that when people don’t
read often, they don’t read well, and the costs to society
are serious. People who read often are more likely to volunteer,
donate to charity, and vote. Additionally, they have higher incomes
and healthier lifestyles. Non-readers have higher rates of unemployment
and less active lifestyles.21
What is the measure?
The "reading quotient" provides a rough indication
of local reading habits compared with other communities. The indicator
is obtained by adding together the books a library owns with how
often people check them out (library circulation), and then dividing
the result by the population.22 The reading quotient increases
if circulation and the library collection grow faster than the population.
It drops when the reverse is true.
How are we doing?
Tuolumne County’s reading quotient increased since 2003.
Both library circulation and the size of the collection grew at
a faster rate than the population from 2003 to 2007. A spike in
the quotient in 2004 was caused when greater book purchasing and
expanded library hours increased circulation. The trend slowed in
following years with leaner library budgets.
Calaveras County ’s reading quotient followed a similar
pattern for the past three years and both counties ended at a similar
level. Amador County was removed from this five-year comparison
because of insufficient comparable data.
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