Forsyth County Public Library
Forsyth County Public Library is a county public library system based in Winston-Salem (Forsyth County), North Carolina, serving a legal service area of 392,839 residents through 10 library buildings and two bookmobiles. Among the 108 profiled systems serving 250,000 to 499,999 residents, it records the fifth-largest gain in visits since FY 2019.
Among the 84 profiled systems in North Carolina, it ranks third for total visits, fourth for population served, sixth for operating spending and eighth for physical checkouts. Against the median system of its size class, it records 43% more visits per resident and 30% less operating spending per resident.
Forsyth County against the 122 systems of its size class
Forsyth County since FY 2019
Visits were 0% above the FY 2019 count of 1.2 million (size-class median: −30%). Physical checkouts moved 24% down over the same span.
- Visits
- Physical checkouts
Who comes to Forsyth County programs
Programs for children up to age 11 drew 65% of all program attendance, and sessions averaged 16 people each.
Forsyth County in numbers, FY 2024
- Visits
- 1,247,924
- Physical checkouts
- 984,150
- …of children's materials
- 146,085
- Electronic checkouts
- 640,881
- …of e-books
- 338,864
- …of e-audio
- 298,279
- Registered users
- 348,442
- Program sessions
- 4,131
- Program attendance
- 65,373
- Print volumes
- 552,991
- Audio items (physical)
- 28,871
- Video items (physical)
- 42,394
- Public computers
- 194
- Public service hours, all outlets
- 34,320
- Paid staff (full-time equivalent)
- 106.7
- Operating spending
- $9.9 million
- …on books and other materials
- $1.2 million
- Overdue fines on print items
- not charged
Where Forsyth County gets its operating money
Operating revenue came to $10.3 million, or $26.24 per resident. The local-government share sits 8 percentage points above the combined share for the 84 profiled systems in North Carolina. No federal operating revenue was reported.
- Local government
- State
- Federal
- Other (fines, fees, gifts, grants)
Forsyth County, building by building
The 10 buildings cover 220,300 square feet in total, 0.56 square feet per resident against a median of 0.46 for the size class. The largest building is Forsyth County Public Library at 103,000 square feet; the smallest is Malloy / Jordan East Winston Heritage Center at 5,800. The longest hours, 60 a week, are shared by 10 buildings.
| Building | Type | Town | Hours a week | Floor area, sq ft |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forsyth County Public Library | Central library | Winston-Salem | 60 | 103,000 |
| Carver School Road Branch Library | Branch | Winston-Salem | 60 | 10,000 |
| Clemmons Branch Library | Branch | Clemmons | 60 | 20,000 |
| Lewisville Branch Library | Branch | Lewisville | 60 | 15,000 |
| Malloy / Jordan East Winston Heritage Center | Branch | Winston-Salem | 60 | 5,800 |
| Paddison Memorial Branch Library | Branch | Kernersville | 60 | 20,000 |
| Reynolda Manor Branch Library | Branch | Winston-Salem | 60 | 17,000 |
| Rural Hall Branch Library | Branch | Rural Hall | 60 | 8,900 |
| Southside Branch Library | Branch | Winston-Salem | 60 | 9,800 |
| Walkertown Branch Library | Branch | Walkertown | 60 | 10,800 |
| Forsyth County Public Library Bookmobile | Two bookmobiles | Winston-Salem | 60 |
County libraries of similar size in other states
Of these six systems, two record more visits per resident than this one. The highest checkout rate in the group belongs to Akron-Summit Cnty Public Library in Ohio.
| System | Based in | Residents | Visits per resident | Checkouts per resident | Spending per resident |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Collier County Public Library | Naples, FL | 408,363 | 2.08 | 2.98 | $22.35 |
| Charleston County Public Library System | Charleston, SC | 408,235 | 3.26 | 4.11 | $90.35 |
| Brazoria County Library System | Angleton, TX | 398,938 | 1.86 | 3.60 | $23.35 |
| St. Lucie County Library System | Fort Pierce, FL | 385,605 | 1.31 | 1.48 | $17.08 |
| Akron-Summit Cnty Public Library | Akron, OH | 381,648 | 3.83 | 8.80 | $81.66 |
| Davis County Library | Farmington, UT | 373,207 | 1.90 | 7.01 | $23.52 |
Nearest in size within North Carolina
- Greensboro Public Library · Greensboro · 435,509 residents
- Cumberland County Public Library · Fayetteville · 337,970 residents
- Durham County Library · Durham · 334,350 residents
- Buncombe County Public Libraries · Asheville · 277,047 residents