How Literate Is Your City?

Interestingly enough, the level of school library funding and public library support were among the criteria used. School library support was determined by the ratio of media specialists to students. Cities with public libraries serving the most people and those with high circulation rates also earned more points. When it comes to library services, Miami ranks number one, followed by Las Vegas, NV, and Louisville, KY. Miami's top honor wasn't a surprise, says Marivi Prado, a Miami-Dade Public Library spokeswoman, pointing out the library's efforts in 1999 to incorporate public ideas on how to better serve the community.

While American Library Association spokeswoman Larra Clark applauds the survey, she says it's still too early to know if it can be used as a potential lobbying tool, or whether it will be formally discussed at next month's American Association of School Librarians conference in Kansas City, MO.

What are the nation's other most literate cities? There's Atlanta, which came in fourth place, followed in order by San Francisco, Pittsburgh, PA, Washington, DC, Louisville, KY, Portland, OR, and Cincinnati, OH. For details of the study, including a complete list of city rankings, visit www.uww.edu/cities.