A new study from a German university has ranked the world's top urban public library systems, rendering some surprising results.
Coming out on top among U.S. library systems in the study from the Heinrich Heine University Dusseldorf's information science department was the Chicago Public Library system, which also ranked third in the world.
The next best U.S. public library systems in the ranking were San Francisco, which ranked fourth, and New York City, which ranked ninth. Ranking first and second internationally and outpacing Chicago were Vancouver and Montreal respectively.
The library systems in the 31 cities the study qualified as "informational world cities" were ranked based on a range of factors including their digital resources, their kid-friendliness and physical factors including the attractiveness and architectural significance of their spaces.
Mayor Rahm Emanuel lauded Chicago's ranking as "underscor[ing]the fact that Chicago is recognized internationally as a world-class City" in a statement.
Last year, the Chicago library received acclaim for its new "maker lab" at the Harold Washington Library downtown, which provided the city's first free, public access to technology including 3-D printers, laser cutters and a milling machine.
Rounding out the top 10 libraries worldwide were Shanghai (fifth), Toronto (sixth), Singapore (seventh), Vienna (eighth) and Shenzhen (tenth). Ranking last was the public library system in Dubai.
FYI, CPL allows unlimited porn. No way is it tops in the nation, unless it's for the ability to watch porn, commit a crime, and get away with it: Chicago Public Library Openly Allows Porn Despite the Law and Chicago Sun-Times Gives One-Sided Report to Maintain Status Quo
ReplyDeleteWow I am shocked to hear that! I did not want to say I was surprised the best library was in an urban area but I was. I wonder how they are allowed to get away with that. I am all for the right to free speech but when you have kids that go from that normally downstairs part of the library where the kids books are to the adults section you hope they find classics not smut.
DeleteThanks, Melissa. I'm for free speech too. Fortunately, the US Supreme Court has ruled that blocking porn from public libraries is not a violation of free speech. For example, everyone knows it is not a violation of free speech to block porn from school libraries. Same goes for public libraries, but for different reasons.
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