America Has More Public Libraries Than Starbucks and McDonald’s – Over 17000 of Them

Public libraries are not fading quietly into history. They are expanding, modernizing, and taking on roles few institutions can replace.

That is the central message from Gary Shaffer, the newly appointed director of the USC Marshall School of Business Master of Management in Library and Information Science program.

As of the mid-2010s, the United States had roughly 17,000 public libraries, a figure that exceeded the combined number of Starbucks and McDonald’s locations nationwide at the time, according to IMLS.

That statistic alone challenges the popular narrative that libraries are obsolete in a digital, on-demand society. According to Shaffer, the opposite is true.

Public libraries have adapted to a mobile, hyper-connected world by becoming essential infrastructure for communities.

They provide access to technology, workforce development support, digital literacy training, and reliable information in an era saturated with noise and misinformation.

In many cities, libraries now function as de facto community hubs and social safety nets, particularly for people without consistent internet access, stable housing, or professional support networks.

The Modern Librarian Is a Data Professional

The stereotype of librarians as quiet custodians of books lingers in popular media, but it no longer reflects reality. Today’s librarians manage vast digital collections, design information systems, curate data, and help organizations navigate complex information environments.

Corporate, government, and academic institutions increasingly rely on information professionals who can structure databases, evaluate sources, and deliver precise insights quickly.

What is in especially high demand are leaders with those technical skills. Information expertise alone is not enough.

Libraries and information organizations need managers who understand strategy, operations, budgeting, and organizational change.

That need directly led to the creation of the Master of Management in Library and Information Science degree in 2013. The program was designed to combine advanced library and information science training with rigorous management education, a blend rarely offered at scale.

Accreditation That Signals Professional Weight

The program holds full accreditation from the American Library Association, a credential that strongly influences career mobility and professional credibility in the field.

Notably, the program achieved a seven-year accreditation on the fastest possible track, a milestone that reflects both faculty quality and curriculum depth.

For graduates, this accreditation places them on equal footing with holders of traditional library science degrees while adding a management dimension that is increasingly valued. In a profession facing rapid technological change, that combination matters.

USC’s original School of Library Services, which granted the Master of Library Science degree, closed in 1987. Decades later, the new program re-establishes USC as a serious player in library and information science education, this time with leadership and management at its core.

Leadership With Real-World Impact

Before joining USC Marshall, Shaffer served as CEO of the Tulsa City-County Library, one of the largest public library systems in the region. His background spans executive leadership, public service, and research into management strategy, experience that aligns closely with the program’s mission.

Under his direction, the program aims to deepen collaboration across USC, drawing on expertise from schools such as Annenberg to reflect the interdisciplinary nature of modern information work.

Libraries today intersect with journalism, communications, data science, public policy, and business. Education in the field increasingly must do the same.

The program has already graduated multiple cohorts, and demand continues to grow as libraries redefine their role in society.

Nationally, public libraries handle billions of visits annually, circulate hundreds of millions of physical and digital items, and provide free internet access to millions of Americans who would otherwise be disconnected.

Why Libraries Still Matter

At a time when trust in information is fragile and access to opportunity is uneven, libraries remain one of the few institutions that are free, local, and open to everyone.

That role carries extra weight in a country where roughly one in five adults struggles to read well enough to manage everyday tasks.

Their continued expansion, professionalization, and leadership development suggest endurance rather than decline.

The datasupports the point. Libraries are not surviving by resisting change. They are thriving by absorbing it.

As Shaffer puts it, the numbers tell the story. When a country maintains more public libraries than its most iconic fast-food chains, it signals not nostalgia, but relevance.