Brevard County Library System
Brevard County Library System is a county public library system based in Cocoa (Brevard County), Florida, serving a legal service area of 653,548 residents through 17 library buildings and one bookmobile. Among the 55 profiled systems serving 500,000 to 999,999 residents, it records the third-largest gain in physical checkouts since FY 2019.
Among the 62 profiled systems in Florida, it ranks sixth for physical checkouts, eighth for total visits, ninth for number of library buildings and tenth for population served. Against the median system of its size class, it records 34% less operating spending per resident and 48% more program attendance per resident.
Brevard County against the 61 systems of its size class
Brevard County since FY 2019
Visits were 29% below the FY 2019 count of 2.2 million (size-class median: −30%). Physical checkouts moved 7% up over the same span.
- Visits
- Physical checkouts
Who comes to Brevard County programs
Programs for children up to age 11 drew 44% of all program attendance, and sessions averaged 19 people each.
Brevard County in numbers, FY 2024
- Visits
- 1,588,701
- Physical checkouts
- 3,308,621
- Registered users
- 257,967
- Program sessions
- 9,522
- Program attendance
- 177,556
- Print volumes
- 827,053
- Audio items (physical)
- 26,310
- Video items (physical)
- 135,409
- Public computers
- 485
- Paid staff (full-time equivalent)
- 218.6
- Operating spending
- $20.5 million
- …on books and other materials
- $3.2 million
- Overdue fines on print items
- charged
Where Brevard County gets its operating money
Operating revenue came to $22.3 million, or $34.18 per resident. The local-government share is close to the combined share for the 62 profiled systems in Florida.
- Local government
- State
- Federal
- Other (fines, fees, gifts, grants)
Brevard County, building by building
The 17 buildings cover 378,855 square feet in total, 0.58 square feet per resident against a median of 0.45 for the size class. The largest building is Catherine Schweinsberg Rood Central Library at 96,000 square feet; the smallest is Mims/Scottsmoor Public Library at 8,205. The longest hours are at Melbourne Public Library, 59.6 a week.
| Building | Type | Town | Hours a week | Floor area, sq ft |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Catherine Schweinsberg Rood Central Library | Central library | Cocoa | 56.7 | 96,000 |
| Cape Canaveral Public Library | Branch | Cape Canaveral | 42.6 | 15,000 |
| Cocoa Beach Public Library | Branch | Cocoa Beach | 56.3 | 25,938 |
| Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Library | Branch | Melbourne | 38.6 | 9,000 |
| Eau Gallie Public Library | Branch | Melbourne | 51.1 | 18,964 |
| Franklin T. Degroodt Memorial Library | Branch | Palm Bay | 56.3 | 22,500 |
| Melbourne Beach Library | Branch | Melbourne Beach | 40.8 | 15,000 |
| Melbourne Public Library | Branch | Melbourne | 59.6 | 25,738 |
| Merritt Island Public Library | Branch | Merritt Island | 49.4 | 25,000 |
| Mims/Scottsmoor Public Library | Branch | Mims | 38.6 | 8,205 |
| Palm Bay Public Library | Branch | Palm Bay | 37.2 | 8,500 |
| Port St. John Public Library | Branch | Cocoa | 45.3 | 15,900 |
| Satellite Beach Public Library | Branch | Satellite Beach | 47.9 | 20,000 |
| South Mainland Library-Micco | Branch | Micco | 38.8 | 10,600 |
| Suntree/Viera Public Library | Branch | Melbourne | 52.5 | 15,000 |
| Titusville Public Library | Branch | Titusville | 58.4 | 31,010 |
| West Melbourne Public Library | Branch | Melbourne | 46.8 | 16,500 |
| Catherine Schweinsberg Rood Central Library Bookmobile | Bookmobile | Cocoa | – |
A dash marks a value not reported for FY 2024.
County libraries of similar size in other states
Of these six systems, two record more visits per resident than this one. The highest checkout rate in the group belongs to Jefferson County Public Library in Colorado.
| System | Based in | Residents | Visits per resident | Checkouts per resident | Spending per resident |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alameda County Library | Fremont, CA | 581,626 | 2.28 | 7.74 | $67.90 |
| Jefferson County Public Library | Lakewood, CO | 576,381 | 3.39 | 11.22 | $77.67 |
| Stanislaus County Free Library | Modesto, CA | 548,744 | 1.42 | 2.22 | $27.67 |
| Greenville County Library System | Greenville, SC | 525,534 | 2.47 | 5.56 | $41.58 |
| Morris County Library | Whippany, NJ | 509,285 | 0.24 | 0.51 | $15.21 |
| Washoe County Library System | Reno, NV | 508,759 | 1.48 | 2.64 | $30.63 |
Nearest in size within Florida
- Pasco County Public Library Cooperative · Hudson · 634,768 residents
- Volusia County Public Library · Daytona Beach · 592,852 residents
- Lee County Library System · Fort Myers · 779,221 residents
- Polk County Library Cooperative · Bartow · 822,769 residents