Corpus Christi Public Libraries
Corpus Christi Public Libraries is a municipal public library system based in Corpus Christi (Nueces County), Texas, serving a legal service area of 316,595 residents through six library buildings. Among profiled systems serving 250,000 to 499,999 residents, it ranks fifth for local government's share of operating revenue and records the eighth-largest gain in physical checkouts since FY 2019, but ranks third-lowest for the electronic share of checkouts and ninth-lowest for paid staff per resident.
By population served it is the 11th-largest of the 503 profiled systems in Texas. Against the median system of its size class, it records 48% fewer public computers per resident and 44% less operating spending per resident.
Corpus Christi against the 122 systems of its size class
Corpus Christi since FY 2019
Visits were 18% below the FY 2019 count of 648,142 (size-class median: −30%). Physical checkouts moved 8% up over the same span.
- Visits
- Physical checkouts
Who comes to Corpus Christi programs
Programs for children up to age 11 drew 67% of all program attendance, and sessions averaged 19 people each.
Corpus Christi in numbers, FY 2024
- Visits
- 531,663
- Physical checkouts
- 735,381
- …of children's materials
- 430,173
- Electronic checkouts
- 100,824
- …of e-books
- 32,564
- …of e-audio
- 65,160
- Registered users
- 115,632
- Program sessions
- 2,843
- Program attendance
- 54,499
- Print volumes
- 343,427
- Audio items (physical)
- 7,776
- Video items (physical)
- 24,626
- Public computers
- 102
- Public service hours, all outlets
- 14,832
- Paid staff (full-time equivalent)
- 53.1
- Operating spending
- $6.4 million
- …on books and other materials
- $458,682
- Overdue fines on print items
- charged
Where Corpus Christi gets its operating money
Operating revenue came to $6.4 million, or $20.24 per resident. The local-government share sits 3 percentage points above the combined share for the 503 profiled systems in Texas.
- Local government
- State
- Federal
- Other (fines, fees, gifts, grants)
Corpus Christi, building by building
The six buildings cover 118,271 square feet in total, 0.37 square feet per resident against a median of 0.46 for the size class. The largest building is Corpus Christi Public Libraries at 50,000 square feet; the smallest is Dr Clotilde P Garcia Public Library at 12,000. The longest hours are at Dr Clotilde P Garcia Public Library, 54 a week.
| Building | Type | Town | Hours a week | Floor area, sq ft |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Corpus Christi Public Libraries | Central library | Corpus Christi | 42.8 | 50,000 |
| Anita & Wt Neyland Public Library | Branch | Corpus Christi | 46 | 17,000 |
| Ben F McDonald Public Library | Branch | Corpus Christi | 47 | 13,000 |
| Dr Clotilde P Garcia Public Library | Branch | Corpus Christi | 54 | 12,000 |
| Janet F Harte Public Library | Branch | Corpus Christi | 49 | 13,500 |
| Owen R Hopkins Public Library | Branch | Corpus Christi | 52 | 12,771 |
Municipal 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 Boise Public Library in Idaho.
| System | Based in | Residents | Visits per resident | Checkouts per resident | Spending per resident |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chula Vista Public Library | Chula Vista, CA | 278,247 | 0.54 | 1.58 | $11.04 |
| Glendale Public Library | Glendale, AZ | 260,878 | 1.78 | 3.76 | $29.18 |
| Chesapeake Public Library | Chesapeake, VA | 250,256 | 2.64 | 3.77 | $49.47 |
| Scottsdale Public Library | Scottsdale, AZ | 249,935 | 2.39 | 5.74 | $33.53 |
| Boise Public Library | Boise, ID | 243,657 | 2.92 | 6.79 | $73.62 |
| Norfolk Public Library | Norfolk, VA | 238,102 | 2.09 | 1.63 | $59.84 |
Nearest in size within Texas
- Lubbock Public Library · Lubbock · 299,167 residents
- Plano Public Library System · Plano · 290,190 residents
- Brownsville Public Library · Brownsville · 259,714 residents
- Laredo Public Library · Laredo · 257,602 residents