Top
  • About Us
  • What We Focus On
    • Criminal Justice and Immigration
    • Education
    • Infrastructure
    • Water and Wastewater
    • Municipal Services
    • Parks and Recreation
    • Social Services
    • Other
  • Research
    • Criminal Justice and Immigration
    • Education
    • Infrastructure
    • Social Services
    • Other Reports and Resources
  • Tools and Guides
  • Blog
  • Privatization Report
  • Projects
    • Governing for the Common Good
    • Cashing in on Kids
  • Search
  • Get email updates
  • Donate
  • "[In the Public Interest] understands from other cities where they’ve done it right and where they’ve done it wrong."

    Bill Peduto, Mayor of Pittsburgh, PA

  • "With in-depth, well-researched analysis, the team at In the Public Interest is an invaluable policy resource."

    Randi Weingarten, President of AFT

  • "It’s hard to think of any organization that is as valuable in protecting the public interest in a time when it is in peril."

    Diane Ravitch, Education historian

In the Public Interest

In the Public Interest

Democracy, shared prosperity, and the common good

In the Public Interest is a comprehensive research and policy center on privatization and responsible contracting.

In the Public Interest

Democracy, shared prosperity, and the common good

In the Public Interest is a comprehensive research and policy center on privatization and responsible contracting.

What can we help you find? Type keywords here to start looking
Home Municipal Services
SHARETweet about this on Twitter
Twitter
Share on Facebook
Facebook
Email to someone
email
Print this page
Print

The Selling of the Public Library: It’s Not Just “Outsourcing,” It’s Privatization

8/1/19985/27/2015

Author: Patricia Schuman

Click here for full report

This article addresses assumptions that encourage library privatization, including:

  • Assumption #1: The private sector can — and will — do it better and cheaper.
  • Assumption #2: The private sector accountability to the marketplace is more effective than government bureaucracy.
  • Assumption #3: Libraries have always outsourced, and managers should be free to employ this very useful tool.

Related Articles

  1. Charter School Vulnerabilities to Waste, Fraud, and Abuse
  2. Caution: Red Light Cameras Ahead- The Risks of Privatizing Traffic Law Enforcement and How to Protect the Public
  3. The Great Ohio Sell-Off
  4. Backgrounder: Municipal Services
  5. Keeping Public Libraries Public: A Checklist for Communities Considering Privatization of Public Libraries
  6. Contracting for Government Services: Theory and Evidence from U.S. Cities

Post navigation

Nursing Home Privatization: What is the Human Cost?
Are Private Prisons More Cost-Effective than Public Prisons? A Meta-Analysis of Evaluation Research Studies