Internet access has turned libraries into communication hubs for everyone.

Earlier this year, ICMA formed an advisory committee aimed at building city and county managers’ awareness of the critical role public libraries play in supporting community vitality and sustainability, as well as the important leadership role managers have in supporting libraries. "One of our core responsibilities as managers within a community is to connect the dots horizontally and vertically to achieve the community's strategic objectives," according to advisory committee member Ron Carlee, county manager, Arlington County, Virginia. "We as managers need to think of public libraries as partners in this effort." 

One result of the work of the committee, composed of 26 members, is a new ICMA Management Perspective, Local Government Managers and Libraries: Partners for a Better Community. The publication features ways that libraries are used to address economic, educational, and social issues that challenge their communities, which include providing:

• A civic and economic anchor that attracts businesses and patrons to transitional neighborhoods
• A destination for creating community and civic engagement
• Services for hard-to-reach populations, including teenagers, immigrants, and senior residents
• Internet access in a world that requires online transactions and communication for jobs, schools, and social services for those without computers
• On-line databases and support for start-up businesses and a developing workforce.

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation have provided support for the ICMA library initiative.