St. Louis Business Journal
St. Louis Public Library tops national literacy study
December 28, 2005

The St. Louis Public Library was ranked No. 1 in a 2005 study ranking America's most literate cities, the library said recently.

The study was authored by John Miller, president of Central Connecticut State University, and was conducted in collaboration with the university's Center for Public Policy and Social Research.

The library said in a release that the city of St. Louis finished 15th overall among the 69 largest cities in the United States, those with populations of 250,000 or more.

The library ranked third in the study in 2004. In last year's study, cities were ranked by a total score taken from five categories: newspaper circulation, number of bookstores, library resources, periodical publishing resources and educational attainment. The 2005 study introduced a sixth factor -- the Internet -- to gauge the expansion of literacy to online media.

St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay said in a statement, "Once again, the St. Louis Public Library, our Library, has shown why it is one of the best systems in the country. Its dedicated staff, its collections and its services demonstrate the character of an institution deserving to be ranked No. 1."

"A great library is vital to a great city," said St. Louis Public Library Executive Director Waller McGuire, in a statement. "St. Louis and the St. Louis Public Library have great things ahead of us."  

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