Cranston Public Library
Cranston Public Library is a municipal public library system based in Cranston (Providence County), Rhode Island, serving a legal service area of 82,934 residents through six library buildings. Among the 45 profiled systems in Rhode Island, it ranks first for physical checkouts, second for population served, second for total visits and second for number of library buildings.
Against the median system of its size class, it records 55% more physical checkouts per resident and 33% more public computers per resident.
Cranston against the 559 systems of its size class
Cranston since FY 2019
Visits were 39% below the FY 2019 count of 387,784 (size-class median: −29%). Physical checkouts moved 24% down over the same span.
- Visits
- Physical checkouts
Who comes to Cranston programs
Programs for children up to age 11 drew 46% of all program attendance, and sessions averaged 20 people each.
Cranston in numbers, FY 2024
- Visits
- 235,123
- Physical checkouts
- 437,613
- …of children's materials
- 164,582
- Electronic checkouts
- 125,684
- …of e-books
- 65,961
- …of e-audio
- 55,031
- Registered users
- 34,050
- Program sessions
- 1,264
- Program attendance
- 25,241
- Print volumes
- 179,999
- Audio items (physical)
- 14,803
- Video items (physical)
- 24,668
- Public computers
- 63
- Public service hours, all outlets
- 11,840
- Paid staff (full-time equivalent)
- 41.3
- Operating spending
- $4 million
- …on books and other materials
- $266,179
- Overdue fines on print items
- charged
Where Cranston gets its operating money
Operating revenue came to $4.1 million, or $48.92 per resident. The local-government share sits 16 percentage points above the combined share for the 45 profiled systems in Rhode Island.
- Local government
- State
- Federal
- Other (fines, fees, gifts, grants)
Cranston, building by building
The six buildings cover 59,686 square feet in total, 0.72 square feet per resident against a median of 0.62 for the size class. The largest building is Cranston Public Library at 29,678 square feet; the smallest is Arlington Branch at 800. The longest hours are at Cranston Public Library, 60.7 a week.
| Building | Type | Town | Hours a week | Floor area, sq ft |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cranston Public Library | Central library | Cranston | 60.7 | 29,678 |
| Arlington Branch | Branch | Cranston | 26 | 800 |
| Auburn Branch | Branch | Cranston | 43 | 5,400 |
| Knightsville Branch | Branch | Cranston | 27 | 2,240 |
| Oak Lawn Branch | Branch | Cranston | 28 | 2,068 |
| William Hall Library | Branch | Cranston | 43 | 19,500 |
Municipal libraries of similar size in other states
Of these six systems, three record more visits per resident than this one. The highest checkout rate in the group belongs to Newport Beach Public Library in California.
| System | Based in | Residents | Visits per resident | Checkouts per resident | Spending per resident |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sterling Municipal Library | Baytown, TX | 84,067 | 1.65 | 2.16 | $31.48 |
| Kyle Public Library | Kyle, TX | 82,594 | 0.98 | 2.34 | $13.83 |
| Newport Beach Public Library | Newport Beach, CA | 82,419 | 7.93 | 12.16 | $128.93 |
| Boynton Beach City Library | Boynton Beach, FL | 82,393 | 2.17 | 1.43 | $35.16 |
| Oshkosh Public Library | Oshkosh, WI | 82,004 | 2.89 | 5.79 | $50.51 |
| Redwood City Public Library | Redwood City, CA | 81,863 | 8.99 | 9.21 | $141.00 |
Nearest in size within Rhode Island
- Pawtucket Public Library · Pawtucket · 75,604 residents
- Warwick Public Library · Warwick · 73,192 residents
- Providence Public Library · Providence · 59,190 residents
- Community Libraries of Providence · Providence · 131,744 residents