Anchorage Public Library
Anchorage Public Library is a county public library system based in Anchorage, Alaska, serving a legal service area of 289,653 residents through five library buildings. Among the 42 profiled systems in Alaska, it leads on population served, total visits, physical checkouts and operating spending, but ranks last for print volumes per resident and second-lowest for public computers per resident.
Against the median system of its size class, it records 47% less program attendance per resident and 31% more operating spending per resident.
Anchorage against the 122 systems of its size class
Anchorage, building by building
The five buildings cover 171,670 square feet in total, 0.59 square feet per resident against a median of 0.46 for the size class. The largest building is Z. J. Loussac Library at 146,171 square feet; the smallest is Chugiak-Eagle River Library at 2,653. The longest hours are at Scott and Wesley Gerrish Library, 37.5 a week.
| Building | Type | Town | Hours a week | Floor area, sq ft |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Z. J. Loussac Library | Central library | Anchorage | – | 146,171 |
| Chugiak-Eagle River Library | Branch | Eagle River | 36.7 | 2,653 |
| Mountain View Library | Branch | Anchorage | 36.6 | 10,704 |
| Muldoon Library | Branch | Anchorage | 37.4 | 8,204 |
| Scott and Wesley Gerrish Library | Branch | Girdwood | 37.5 | 3,938 |
A dash marks a value not reported for FY 2024.
Anchorage in numbers, FY 2024
- Visits
- 532,199
- Physical checkouts
- 865,641
- …of children's materials
- 514,613
- Electronic checkouts
- 914,287
- …of e-books
- 371,581
- …of e-audio
- 408,743
- Registered users
- 118,646
- Program sessions
- 1,392
- Program attendance
- 30,732
- Print volumes
- 306,122
- Audio items (physical)
- 23,835
- Video items (physical)
- 50,503
- Public computers
- 138
- Paid staff (full-time equivalent)
- 74.3
- Operating spending
- $13.6 million
- …on books and other materials
- $670,513
- Overdue fines on print items
- not charged
Where Anchorage gets its operating money
Operating revenue came to $14.8 million, or $50.95 per resident. The local-government share is close to the combined share for the 42 profiled systems in Alaska.
- Local government
- State
- Federal
- Other (fines, fees, gifts, grants)
Anchorage since FY 2019
Visits were 29% below the FY 2019 count of 748,395 (size-class median: −30%). Physical checkouts moved 28% down over the same span.
- Visits
- Physical checkouts
Who comes to Anchorage programs
Programs for children up to age 11 drew 65% of all program attendance, and sessions averaged 22 people each.
County libraries of similar size in other states
Of these six systems, five record more visits per resident than this one. The highest checkout rate in the group belongs to Frederick County Public Libraries in Maryland.
| System | Based in | Residents | Visits per resident | Checkouts per resident | Spending per resident |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LeRoy Collins Leon County Public Library System | Tallahassee, FL | 300,806 | 1.97 | 3.02 | $21.22 |
| Lexington County Public Library System | Lexington, SC | 293,991 | 2.14 | 4.12 | $33.22 |
| York County Library System | Rock Hill, SC | 282,090 | 1.51 | 3.52 | $32.11 |
| Frederick County Public Libraries | Frederick, MD | 279,835 | 3.66 | 8.32 | $69.33 |
| Forsyth County Public Library | Cumming, GA | 279,366 | 2.73 | 8.20 | $34.06 |
| St. Tammany Parish Library | Covington, LA | 277,615 | 2.18 | 2.30 | $40.32 |
Nearest in size within Alaska
- Fairbanks North Star Borough Public Libraries · Fairbanks · 95,972 residents
- Wasilla Public Library · Wasilla · 51,796 residents
- Juneau Public Libraries · Juneau · 31,549 residents
- Palmer Public Library · Palmer · 26,978 residents