Recent studies calculate the nationwide, averaged value of volunteer time at an eye-popping $31.80 – per hour. Let’s use that as the basis of a thought experiment. By our most cautious count, our member network here at the Minnesota Association of Library Friends boasts a collective reach of more than 19,000 library-lovers across our great state. If each of these Friends of the Library volunteered just one hour of time to their group in 2023, that would ladder up to an instant $604,200 investment in our libraries!