Alameda County Library
Alameda County Library is a county public library system based in Fremont (Alameda County), California, serving a legal service area of 581,626 residents through 11 library buildings and two bookmobiles. Among profiled systems serving 500,000 to 999,999 residents, it records the eighth-smallest decline in physical checkouts since FY 2019, but ranks third-lowest for weekly open hours per outlet and eighth-lowest for the electronic share of checkouts.
Among the 170 profiled systems in California, it ranks tenth for physical checkouts. Against the median system of its size class, it records 2.0 times the physical checkouts per resident and 42% fewer public computers per resident.
Alameda County against the 61 systems of its size class
Alameda County, building by building
The largest building is Fremont Main Library at 68,532 square feet; the smallest is Niles Library at 2,152. The longest hours are at Dublin Library, 48.7 a week.
| Building | Type | Town | Hours a week | Floor area, sq ft |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Albany Library | Branch | Albany | 39.2 | 15,220 |
| Castro Valley Library | Branch | Castro Valley | 41.1 | 34,537 |
| Centerville Library | Branch | Fremont | 27.8 | 6,000 |
| Cherryland Library | Branch | Hayward | 48.2 | – |
| Dublin Library | Branch | Dublin | 48.7 | 29,545 |
| Fremont Main Library | Branch | Fremont | 46.1 | 68,532 |
| Irvington Library | Branch | Fremont | 17.6 | 5,760 |
| Newark Library | Branch | Newark | 37.3 | 15,000 |
| Niles Library | Branch | Fremont | 7 | 2,152 |
| San Lorenzo Library | Branch | San Lorenzo | 41.1 | 20,000 |
| Union City Library | Branch | Union City | 37.6 | 12,000 |
| Alameda County Bookmobile | Bookmobile | Fremont | 4 | |
| Alameda County Bookmobile | Bookmobile | Fremont | 1.5 |
A dash marks a value not reported for FY 2024.
Alameda County in numbers, FY 2024
- Visits
- 1,326,353
- Physical checkouts
- 4,499,267
- …of children's materials
- 3,217,541
- Electronic checkouts
- 1,270,625
- …of e-books
- 735,178
- …of e-audio
- 384,573
- Registered users
- 310,003
- Program sessions
- 3,229
- Program attendance
- 102,001
- Print volumes
- 891,660
- Audio items (physical)
- 11,773
- Video items (physical)
- 93,873
- Public computers
- 214
- Public service hours, all outlets
- 20,570
- Paid staff (full-time equivalent)
- 242.9
- Operating spending
- $39.5 million
- …on books and other materials
- $4.4 million
- Overdue fines on print items
- not charged
Where Alameda County gets its operating money
Operating revenue came to $45.3 million, or $77.83 per resident. The local-government share sits 6 percentage points below the combined share for the 170 profiled systems in California.
- Local government
- State
- Federal
- Other (fines, fees, gifts, grants)
Alameda County since FY 2019
Visits were 39% below the FY 2019 count of 2.2 million (size-class median: −30%). Physical checkouts moved 9% down over the same span.
- Visits
- Physical checkouts
Who comes to Alameda County programs
Programs for children up to age 11 drew 52% of all program attendance, and sessions averaged 32 people each.
County libraries of similar size in other states
All six of these systems record more visits per resident than this one. The highest checkout rate in the group belongs to Dakota County Library in Minnesota.
| System | Based in | Residents | Visits per resident | Checkouts per resident | Spending per resident |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dakota County Library | Eagan, MN | 449,658 | 3.52 | 9.39 | $38.46 |
| Department of Community Services | New Castle, DE | 449,061 | 2.83 | 4.97 | $45.96 |
| Seminole County Public Library System | Casselberry, FL | 445,870 | 2.64 | 3.01 | $19.63 |
| Toledo-Lucas County Public Library | Toledo, OH | 428,505 | 4.73 | 7.25 | $104.07 |
| Jefferson Parish Library | Metairie, LA | 427,253 | 2.74 | 1.81 | $59.02 |
| Loudoun County Public Library | Leesburg, VA | 425,204 | 4.03 | 8.66 | $57.12 |
Nearest in size within California
- Stanislaus County Free Library · Modesto · 548,744 residents
- Sonoma County Library · Rohnert Park · 478,152 residents
- Stockton-San Joaquin County Public Library · Stockton · 724,916 residents
- Long Beach Public Library · Long Beach · 458,813 residents