LIBRARY AGAIN RANKED 7TH IN CIRCULATION NATIONALLY

Library Administrator's Digest, Sep 2004

In 2003 our library loaned more than 14.8 million books and materials. This was more than the public libraries in Chicago, Houston, Philadelphia, San Diego, Dallas or many other more populous cities or regions. For the second year in a row, the library ranked seventh in circulation in the country. Given that the population of Hamilton County has continued to decline, and that the library's budget and hours of operation both dropped by 10 percent in 2003, it is exciting to remain among the busiest public libraries in the U.S. How did this happen? There are a number of significant factors that propel this continued heavy use. First, it's obvious that our library cardholders like to read! Among the top 10 busiest libraries, Cincinnati ranks second in circulation per cardholder with an average of 36.8 items borrowed by everyone with a card last year. Our cardholders are avid users. Secondly, as a result of the long history of the library - 151 years - and its practice to purchase items to develop a permanent reference collection, Cincinnati ranks first among these top 10 in both total size of the collection (10.3 million) and collection holdings per capita (12.3 items). A third factor is convenience with 42 library locations throughout the county, with the Main Library open seven days a week and the branches all open six days a week. Other factors include the excellent staff, free Internet access with nearly 500 computers, outstanding Web site and enormous range of online resources available 24/7, over 16,000 annual free programs for audiences of all ages, and the amazing menu of services offered - all for free. Finally, all of this is available to the public efficiently and effectively. With the recent drop in budget, Cincinnati has fallen to third lowest among the top 10 libraries.

While circulation may be the best-known measure of library use, other measures include reference questions, visits to the library, use of online resources and program attendance. In 2003 attendance at library programs increased 17 percent and use of online resources increased 15 percent, demonstrating the changing expectations of our customers. The library is constantly adapting and growing. We welcome your comments and suggestions on ways that we can continue to meet your changing needs.

Library Links, Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County (OH), May 2004