Dauphin County Library System
Dauphin County Library System is a nonprofit public library system based in Harrisburg (Dauphin County), Pennsylvania, serving a legal service area of 252,153 residents through eight library buildings. Among the 435 profiled systems in Pennsylvania, it ranks third for public computers, fifth for total visits, sixth for population served and sixth for operating spending.
Among the 122 profiled systems serving 250,000 to 499,999 residents, it ranks seventh-lowest for local government's share of operating revenue. Against the median system of its size class, it records 39% less program attendance per resident and 42% more paid staff per resident.
Dauphin County against the 122 systems of its size class
Dauphin County, building by building
The eight buildings cover 70,925 square feet in total, 0.28 square feet per resident against a median of 0.46 for the size class. The largest building is East Shore Area Library at 28,500 square feet; the smallest is Johnson Memorial Library at 2,928. The longest hours are at East Shore Area Library, 63.2 a week.
| Building | Type | Town | Hours a week | Floor area, sq ft |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| East Shore Area Library | Branch | Harrisburg | 63.2 | 28,500 |
| Elizabethville Area Library | Branch | Elizabethville | 44.8 | 5,000 |
| Johnson Memorial Library | Branch | Millersburg | 20.7 | 2,928 |
| Kline Library | Branch | Harrisburg | 36.9 | 5,000 |
| Madeline L. Olewine Memorial Library | Branch | Harrisburg | 44.9 | 6,300 |
| McCormick Riverfront Library | Branch | Harrisburg | 44.7 | 8,190 |
| Northern Dauphin Branch Library | Branch | Lykens | 36.9 | 6,300 |
| William H & Marion C Alexander Family Library | Branch | Hummelstown | 44.8 | 8,707 |
Dauphin County in numbers, FY 2024
- Visits
- 527,511
- Physical checkouts
- 821,582
- …of children's materials
- 406,309
- Electronic checkouts
- 285,860
- …of e-books
- 119,389
- …of e-audio
- 138,150
- Registered users
- 57,649
- Program sessions
- 1,909
- Program attendance
- 30,542
- Print volumes
- 234,790
- Audio items (physical)
- 22,576
- Video items (physical)
- 18,369
- Public computers
- 165
- Public service hours, all outlets
- 17,516
- Paid staff (full-time equivalent)
- 112.2
- Operating spending
- $7.6 million
- …on books and other materials
- $982,384
- Overdue fines on print items
- not charged
Where Dauphin County gets its operating money
Operating revenue came to $8.1 million, or $31.99 per resident. The local-government share is close to the combined share for the 435 profiled systems in Pennsylvania. No federal operating revenue was reported.
- Local government
- State
- Federal
- Other (fines, fees, gifts, grants)
Dauphin County since FY 2019
Visits were 26% below the FY 2019 count of 715,283 (size-class median: −30%). Physical checkouts moved 21% down over the same span.
- Visits
- Physical checkouts
Who comes to Dauphin County programs
Programs for children up to age 11 drew 57% of all program attendance, and sessions averaged 16 people each.
Closest in size nationwide
Of these six systems, four record more visits per resident than this one. The highest checkout rate in the group belongs to Lake County Public Library in Indiana.
| System | Based in | Residents | Visits per resident | Checkouts per resident | Spending per resident |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lafayette Public Library | Lafayette, LA | 254,241 | 2.98 | 5.39 | $44.16 |
| Yavapai County Free Library District | Prescott, AZ | 251,768 | 0.46 | 0.73 | $13.82 |
| Yakima Valley Regional Library | Yakima, WA | 251,520 | 1.63 | 2.09 | $32.36 |
| Lake County Public Library | Merrillville, IN | 251,041 | 2.74 | 6.13 | $51.60 |
| Athens Regional Library System | Athens, GA | 250,788 | 2.16 | 2.85 | $17.63 |
| Chesapeake Public Library | Chesapeake, VA | 250,256 | 2.64 | 3.77 | $49.47 |
Nearest in size within Pennsylvania
- Erie County Public Library · Erie · 237,610 residents
- York County Library System, Pennsylvania · York · 282,763 residents
- Lancaster Public Library · Lancaster · 214,988 residents
- Montgomery County-Norristown Public Library · Norristown · 336,716 residents