Camden County Library
Camden County Library is a county public library system based in Voorhees (Camden County), New Jersey, serving a legal service area of 324,221 residents through eight library buildings. Among the 262 profiled systems in New Jersey, it ranks third for public computers, fifth for population served, eighth for physical checkouts and eighth for operating spending.
Against the median system of its size class, it records only 48% of the program attendance per resident and only 49% of the physical checkouts per resident.
Camden County against the 122 systems of its size class
Camden County, building by building
The eight buildings cover 137,621 square feet in total, 0.42 square feet per resident against a median of 0.46 for the size class. The largest building is M.allan Vogelson Regional Branch Library at 60,000 square feet; the smallest is Merchantville Reading Center at 2,005. The longest hours are at M.allan Vogelson Regional Branch Library, 62 a week.
| Building | Type | Town | Hours a week | Floor area, sq ft |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| M.allan Vogelson Regional Branch Library | Central library | Voorhees | 62 | 60,000 |
| Bellmawr Branch Library | Branch | Bellmawr | 58 | 9,605 |
| Ferry Avenue Branch | Branch | Camden | 54 | 15,011 |
| Gloucester Township Branch Library | Branch | Blackwood | 58 | 10,000 |
| Haddon Township Branch Library | Branch | Westmont | 58 | 14,500 |
| Merchantville Reading Center | Branch | Merchantville | 25.5 | 2,005 |
| Nilsa Cruz-Perez Branch | Branch | Camden | 54 | 5,000 |
| South County Regional Branch Library | Branch | Braddock | 58 | 21,500 |
Camden County in numbers, FY 2024
- Visits
- 470,600
- Physical checkouts
- 561,251
- …of children's materials
- 285,504
- Electronic checkouts
- 199,777
- …of e-books
- 67,662
- …of e-audio
- 95,877
- Registered users
- 107,168
- Program sessions
- 2,308
- Program attendance
- 31,211
- Print volumes
- 347,964
- Audio items (physical)
- 21,280
- Video items (physical)
- 58,334
- Public computers
- 231
- Public service hours, all outlets
- 22,230
- Paid staff (full-time equivalent)
- 100.5
- Operating spending
- $10.9 million
- …on books and other materials
- $811,600
- Overdue fines on print items
- not charged
Where Camden County gets its operating money
Operating revenue came to $11.5 million, or $35.62 per resident. The local-government share is close to the combined share for the 262 profiled systems in New Jersey. Federal money made up 1.0% of the total.
- Local government
- State
- Federal
- Other (fines, fees, gifts, grants)
Camden County since FY 2019
Visits were 46% below the FY 2019 count of 874,698 (size-class median: −30%). Physical checkouts moved 39% down over the same span.
- Visits
- Physical checkouts
Who comes to Camden County programs
Programs for children up to age 11 drew 53% of all program attendance, and sessions averaged 14 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 Howard County Library System in Maryland.
| System | Based in | Residents | Visits per resident | Checkouts per resident | Spending per resident |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Howard County Library System | Ellicott City, MD | 334,529 | 4.70 | 12.51 | $89.12 |
| Durham County Library | Durham, NC | 334,350 | 1.50 | 6.70 | $41.93 |
| West Florida Public Libraries | Pensacola, FL | 334,119 | 1.17 | 2.03 | $23.55 |
| St. Johns County Public Library System | St. Augustine, FL | 331,327 | 2.25 | 3.65 | $28.69 |
| Spartanburg County Public Library System | Spartanburg, SC | 327,997 | 2.88 | 4.54 | $52.71 |
| Lexington Public Library | Lexington, KY | 320,154 | 3.12 | 10.71 | $54.12 |
Nearest in size within New Jersey
- Newark Public Library · Newark · 311,549 residents
- Jersey City Free Public Library · Jersey City · 292,449 residents
- Burlington County Library · Westampton · 363,983 residents
- Monmouth County Library · Manalapan · 425,110 residents