Athens Regional Library System
Athens Regional Library System is a multi-jurisdictional public library system based in Athens (Clarke County), Georgia, serving a legal service area of 250,788 residents through 11 library buildings. Among the 122 profiled systems serving 250,000 to 499,999 residents, it ranks second for public computers per resident, but ranks ninth-lowest for local government's share of operating revenue.
Among the 60 profiled systems in Georgia, it ranks second for public computers and ninth for total visits. Against the median system of its size class, it records only 49% of the operating spending per resident and 77% more program attendance per resident.
Athens Regional against the 122 systems of its size class
Athens Regional, building by building
The 11 buildings cover 161,057 square feet in total, 0.64 square feet per resident against a median of 0.46 for the size class. The largest building is Athens-Clarke County Library at 83,823 square feet; the smallest is Aaron Heard Resource Center at 800. The longest hours are at Athens-Clarke County Library, 67.1 a week.
| Building | Type | Town | Hours a week | Floor area, sq ft |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Athens-Clarke County Library | Central library | Athens | 67.1 | 83,823 |
| Aaron Heard Resource Center | Branch | Athens | 18.1 | 800 |
| Bogart Branch Library | Branch | Bogart | 46.2 | 9,600 |
| Lavonia-Carnegie Public Library | Branch | Lavonia | 32.9 | 3,377 |
| Lay Park Resource Center | Branch | Athens | 18.7 | 800 |
| Madison County Library | Branch | Danielsville | 54 | 17,500 |
| Oconee County Library | Branch | Watkinsville | 40.9 | 25,000 |
| Oglethorpe County Library | Branch | Lexington | 44.2 | 7,300 |
| Pinewoods Library and Learning Center | Branch | Athens | 27 | 3,192 |
| Royston Branch Library | Branch | Royston | 38.5 | 8,465 |
| Winterville Branch Library | Branch | Winterville | 18.8 | 1,200 |
Athens Regional in numbers, FY 2024
- Visits
- 542,045
- Physical checkouts
- 713,591
- …of children's materials
- 325,049
- Electronic checkouts
- 270,266
- …of e-books
- 89,488
- …of e-audio
- 135,318
- Registered users
- 114,225
- Program sessions
- 2,977
- Program attendance
- 88,721
- Print volumes
- 343,516
- Audio items (physical)
- 8,598
- Video items (physical)
- 35,526
- Public computers
- 491
- Public service hours, all outlets
- 21,131
- Paid staff (full-time equivalent)
- 77.3
- Operating spending
- $4.4 million
- …on books and other materials
- $202,141
- Overdue fines on print items
- charged
Where Athens Regional gets its operating money
Operating revenue came to $6.1 million, or $24.52 per resident. The local-government share sits 9 percentage points below the combined share for the 60 profiled systems in Georgia. No federal operating revenue was reported.
- Local government
- State
- Federal
- Other (fines, fees, gifts, grants)
Athens Regional since FY 2019
Visits were 28% below the FY 2019 count of 757,663 (size-class median: −30%). Physical checkouts moved 33% down over the same span.
- Visits
- Physical checkouts
Who comes to Athens Regional programs
Programs for children up to age 11 drew 66% of all program attendance, and sessions averaged 30 people each.
Multi-jurisdictional libraries of similar size in other states
Of these six systems, four record more visits per resident than this one. The highest checkout rate in the group belongs to Handley Regional Library in Virginia.
| System | Based in | Residents | Visits per resident | Checkouts per resident | Spending per resident |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pamunkey Regional Library | Hanover, VA | 160,674 | 2.87 | 3.35 | $39.98 |
| Horseshoe Bend Regional Library | Dadeville, AL | 159,028 | 0.03 | 0.29 | $2.15 |
| Lake Agassiz Regional Library | Moorhead, MN | 149,603 | 2.68 | 3.35 | $30.14 |
| Appalachian Regional Library | West Jefferson, NC | 147,653 | 2.03 | 2.96 | $20.53 |
| Faulkner-Van Buren Regional Library System | Conway, AR | 143,767 | 2.97 | 2.20 | $19.18 |
| Handley Regional Library | Winchester, VA | 135,890 | 2.69 | 4.37 | $26.06 |
Nearest in size within Georgia
- Henry County Library System · McDonough · 257,669 residents
- Middle Georgia Regional Library System · Macon · 270,784 residents
- Forsyth County Public Library · Cumming · 279,366 residents
- Chattahoochee Valley Libraries · Columbus · 223,782 residents