Community Libraries of Providence
Community Libraries of Providence is a nonprofit public library system based in Providence, Rhode Island, serving a legal service area of 131,744 residents through nine library buildings. Among the 45 profiled systems in Rhode Island, it leads on population served, total visits, number of library buildings and program attendance, but ranks third-lowest for print volumes per resident.
Against the median system of its size class, it records 2.7 times the public computers per resident and 2.1 times the program attendance per resident.
Community Libraries of Providence against the 360 systems of its size class
Community Libraries of Providence, building by building
The nine buildings cover 82,247 square feet in total, 0.62 square feet per resident against a median of 0.51 for the size class. The largest building is Knight Memorial Library at 20,086 square feet; the smallest is Washington Park Branch at 2,800. The longest hours, 49.9 a week, are shared by three buildings.
| Building | Type | Town | Hours a week | Floor area, sq ft |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fox Point Branch | Branch | Providence | 32.8 | 3,812 |
| Knight Memorial Library | Branch | Providence | 49.9 | 20,086 |
| Mount Pleasant Branch | Branch | Providence | 49.9 | 9,373 |
| Olneyville Branch | Branch | Providence | 32.9 | 3,600 |
| Rochambeau Branch | Branch | Providence | 49.9 | 18,227 |
| Smith Hill Branch | Branch | Providence | 32.9 | 8,900 |
| South Providence Branch | Branch | Providence | 32.9 | 7,249 |
| Wanskuck Branch | Branch | Providence | 32.9 | 8,200 |
| Washington Park Branch | Branch | Providence | 32.6 | 2,800 |
Community Libraries of Providence in numbers, FY 2024
- Visits
- 487,090
- Physical checkouts
- 311,884
- …of children's materials
- 154,141
- Electronic checkouts
- 149,143
- …of e-books
- 72,349
- …of e-audio
- 61,191
- Registered users
- 40,791
- Program sessions
- 5,165
- Program attendance
- 61,279
- Print volumes
- 166,073
- Audio items (physical)
- 4,450
- Video items (physical)
- 21,108
- Public computers
- 201
- Public service hours, all outlets
- 17,826
- Paid staff (full-time equivalent)
- 65.3
- Operating spending
- $6.2 million
- …on books and other materials
- $219,574
- Overdue fines on print items
- not charged
Where Community Libraries of Providence gets its operating money
Operating revenue came to $6.3 million, or $47.75 per resident. The local-government share is close to the combined share for the 45 profiled systems in Rhode Island. Federal money made up 10.4% of the total.
- Local government
- State
- Federal
- Other (fines, fees, gifts, grants)
Who comes to Community Libraries of Providence programs
Programs for children up to age 11 drew 50% of all program attendance, and sessions averaged 12 people each.
Nearest in size within Rhode Island
- Cranston Public Library · Cranston · 82,934 residents
- Pawtucket Public Library · Pawtucket · 75,604 residents
- Warwick Public Library · Warwick · 73,192 residents
- Providence Public Library · Providence · 59,190 residents
Nonprofit association libraries of similar size in other states
None of these six systems records more visits per resident than this one. The highest checkout rate in the group belongs to Massanutten Regional Library in Virginia.
| System | Based in | Residents | Visits per resident | Checkouts per resident | Spending per resident |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Massanutten Regional Library | Harrisonburg, VA | 162,560 | 1.46 | 4.78 | $17.74 |
| Allentown Public Library | Allentown, PA | 139,466 | 1.16 | 1.16 | $21.44 |
| Ferguson Library | Stamford, CT | 136,226 | 3.54 | 3.39 | $76.84 |
| Franklin County Library System-Admin Unit | Chambersburg, PA | 135,038 | 1.37 | 1.87 | $24.25 |
| Osterhout Free Library | Wilkes-Barre, PA | 120,502 | 0.60 | 0.84 | $21.32 |
| Bethlehem Area Public Library | Bethlehem, PA | 118,264 | 1.50 | 2.84 | $25.67 |