Brazoria County Library System
Brazoria County Library System is a county public library system based in Angleton (Brazoria County), Texas, serving a legal service area of 398,938 residents through 13 library buildings. Among profiled systems serving 250,000 to 499,999 residents, it records the sixth-smallest decline in visits since FY 2019, but ranks sixth-lowest for the electronic share of checkouts.
Among the 503 profiled systems in Texas, it ranks ninth for population served and tenth for total visits. Against the median system of its size class, it records 40% fewer public computers per resident and 35% less operating spending per resident.
Brazoria County against the 122 systems of its size class
Brazoria County since FY 2019
Visits were 0% below the FY 2019 count of 744,822 (size-class median: −30%). Physical checkouts moved 9% down over the same span.
- Visits
- Physical checkouts
Who comes to Brazoria County programs
Programs for children up to age 11 drew 82% of all program attendance, and sessions averaged 31 people each.
Brazoria County in numbers, FY 2024
- Visits
- 743,056
- Physical checkouts
- 1,434,608
- …of children's materials
- 902,385
- Electronic checkouts
- 266,478
- …of e-books
- 112,988
- …of e-audio
- 126,612
- Registered users
- 166,818
- Program sessions
- 2,209
- Program attendance
- 69,325
- Print volumes
- 336,935
- Audio items (physical)
- 10,227
- Video items (physical)
- 34,804
- Public computers
- 148
- Public service hours, all outlets
- 30,954
- Paid staff (full-time equivalent)
- 108.6
- Operating spending
- $9.3 million
- …on books and other materials
- $1.2 million
- Overdue fines on print items
- charged
Where Brazoria County gets its operating money
Operating revenue came to $9 million, or $22.48 per resident. The local-government share sits 4 percentage points above the combined share for the 503 profiled systems in Texas. No federal operating revenue was reported.
- Local government
- State
- Federal
- Other (fines, fees, gifts, grants)
Brazoria County, building by building
The 13 buildings cover 175,815 square feet in total, 0.44 square feet per resident against a median of 0.46 for the size class. The largest building is West Pearland Library at 39,000 square feet; the smallest is Juvenile Justice Center at 1,200. The longest hours are at Tom Reid Library, 55.5 a week.
| Building | Type | Town | Hours a week | Floor area, sq ft |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alvin Library | Branch | Alvin | 47.9 | 18,500 |
| Angleton Library | Branch | Angleton | 52.8 | 22,000 |
| Brazoria Library | Branch | Brazoria | 49.5 | 12,035 |
| Clute Library | Branch | Clute | 40.9 | 8,930 |
| Danbury Library | Branch | Danbury | 38.8 | 1,600 |
| Freeport Library | Branch | Freeport | 39.4 | 9,750 |
| Juvenile Justice Center | Branch | Angleton | 38.3 | 1,200 |
| Lake Jackson Library | Branch | Lake Jackson | 48.4 | 21,000 |
| Manvel Library | Branch | Manvel | 48 | 4,800 |
| Sweeny Library | Branch | Sweeny | 40.9 | 4,000 |
| Tom Reid Library | Branch | Pearland | 55.5 | 28,000 |
| West Columbia Branch Library | Branch | West Columbia | 40.9 | 5,000 |
| West Pearland Library | Branch | Pearland | 54.1 | 39,000 |
County 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 Richland County Public Library in South Carolina.
| System | Based in | Residents | Visits per resident | Checkouts per resident | Spending per resident |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Richland County Public Library | Columbia, SC | 416,147 | 2.83 | 5.42 | $81.95 |
| Marion County Public Library System | Ocala, FL | 413,951 | 1.39 | 1.84 | $21.62 |
| Collier County Public Library | Naples, FL | 408,363 | 2.08 | 2.98 | $22.35 |
| Charleston County Public Library System | Charleston, SC | 408,235 | 3.26 | 4.11 | $90.35 |
| Forsyth County Public Library | Winston-Salem, NC | 392,839 | 3.18 | 2.51 | $25.21 |
| St. Lucie County Library System | Fort Pierce, FL | 385,605 | 1.31 | 1.48 | $17.08 |
Nearest in size within Texas
- Arlington Public Library System · Arlington · 398,431 residents
- Corpus Christi Public Libraries · Corpus Christi · 316,595 residents
- Lubbock Public Library · Lubbock · 299,167 residents
- Plano Public Library System · Plano · 290,190 residents