librarysystems

Fresno County Public Library

Fresno, CaliforniaCounty libraryLarge cityFiscal year July 2023 to June 2024

Fresno County Public Library is a county public library system based in Fresno, California, serving a legal service area of 993,976 residents through 35 library buildings and two bookmobiles. Among profiled systems serving 500,000 to 999,999 residents, it ranks fourth-lowest for program attendance per resident and seventh-lowest for print volumes per resident and records the second-steepest decline in visits since FY 2019.

Among the 170 profiled systems in California, it ranks ninth for population served. Against the median system of its size class, it records only 48% of the physical checkouts per resident and only 49% of the public computers per resident.

Compare with similar-size systemsSystems serving 500,000 to 999,999

Fresno County against the 61 systems of its size class

size-class median (50th percentile) · spine height = percentile within the class1.12Visitsper resident14th percentile1.86Checkoutsper resident14th percentile$35.58Spendingper resident37th percentile0.67Print volumesper resident11th percentile100Program visitsper 1,000 people6th percentile3.1Computersper 10,000 people17th percentile35.6Open hoursper outlet a week18th percentile2.8Staff (FTE)per 10,000 people29th percentile
Gold tick: size-class medianVisits per resident1.1214th pct.Checkouts per resident1.8614th pct.Spending per resident$35.5837th pct.Print volumes per resident0.6711th pct.Program visits per 1,000 people1006th pct.Computers per 10,000 people3.117th pct.Open hours per outlet a week35.618th pct.Staff (FTE) per 10,000 people2.829th pct.

How the measures and percentiles are calculated

Fresno County since FY 2019

Visits were 58% below the FY 2019 count of 2.7 million (size-class median: −30%). Physical checkouts moved 28% down over the same span.

FY 2019 = 100020406080100FY 2019FY 2023FY 2024
FY 2019 = 100020406080100FY 2019FY 2023FY 2024
  • Visits
  • Physical checkouts

Who comes to Fresno County programs

Programs for children up to age 11 drew 61% of all program attendance, and sessions averaged 16 people each.

Children 0–1160,154Young adults 12–1810,154Adults 19+24,823General interest4,273
Children 0–1160,154Young adults 12–1810,154Adults 19+24,823General interest4,273

Fresno County in numbers, FY 2024

Visits
1,112,949
Physical checkouts
1,844,134
…of children's materials
897,446
Electronic checkouts
1,252,318
…of e-books
547,525
…of e-audio
537,653
Registered users
167,355
Program sessions
6,092
Program attendance
99,404
Print volumes
665,473
Audio items (physical)
46,373
Video items (physical)
85,901
Public computers
310
Public service hours, all outlets
68,533
Paid staff (full-time equivalent)
275.0
Operating spending
$35.4 million
…on books and other materials
$3.2 million
Overdue fines on print items
charged

Where Fresno County gets its operating money

Operating revenue came to $47.8 million, or $48.05 per resident. The local-government share is close to the combined share for the 170 profiled systems in California.

This system95%All profiled systems in California94%
This system95%All profiled systems in California94%
  • Local government
  • State
  • Federal
  • Other (fines, fees, gifts, grants)

Fresno County, building by building

The 35 buildings cover 283,754 square feet in total, 0.29 square feet per resident against a median of 0.45 for the size class. The largest building is Central Library at 82,716 square feet; the smallest is Big Creek Station at 375. The longest hours are at Fig Garden Regional Library, 66.8 a week.

BuildingTypeTownHours a weekFloor area, sq ft
Central LibraryCentral libraryFresno54.982,716
Auberry Branch LibraryBranchAuberry38.95,024
Bear Mountain Branch LibraryBranchSquaw Valley34.87,510
Betty Rodriguez Regional LibraryBranchFresno63.113,969
Big Creek StationBranchBig Creek4.5375
Biola StationBranchBiola8.51,104
Caruthers Branch LibraryBranchCaruthers37.96,000
Clovis Regional LibraryBranchClovis65.78,627
Easton Branch LibraryBranchEaston29.13,120
Fig Garden Regional LibraryBranchFresno66.810,218
Firebaugh Branch LibraryBranchFirebaugh31.61,581
Fowler Branch LibraryBranchFowler38.58,660
Gillis Branch LibraryBranchFresno51.16,263
Kerman Branch LibraryBranchKerman38.64,370
Kingsburg Branch LibraryBranchKingsburg38.35,000
Laton StationBranchLaton12.91,563
Mendota Branch LibraryBranchMendota38.512,500
Mosqueda Branch LibraryBranchFresno34.82,150
Orange Cove Branch LibraryBranchOrange Cove38.510,072
Parlier Branch LibraryBranchParlier30.73,778
Piedra StationBranchSanger15.81,800
Pinedale Branch LibraryBranchPinedale30.91,274
Politi Branch LibraryBranchFresno545,016
Reedley Branch LibraryBranchReedley51.25,000
Riverdale Branch LibraryBranchRiverdale28.72,190
San Joaquin Branch LibraryBranchSan Joaquin38.52,996
Sanger Branch LibraryBranchSanger528,994
Selma Branch LibraryBranchSelma51.97,272
Shaver Lake Branch LibraryBranchShaver Lake10.41,000
Sunnyside Branch LibraryBranchFresno65.918,033
Talking Book Library for the BlindBranchFresno38.32,640
Teague Branch LibraryBranchFresno15.9432
Tranquillity StationBranchTranquillity15.83,484
West Fresno Branch LibraryBranchFresno38.56,873
Woodward Park Regional LibraryBranchFresno66.322,150
Community BookmobileBookmobileFresno8.4
Mobile LiteracyBookmobileMendota2

County 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 Jefferson County Public Library in Colorado.

SystemBased inResidentsVisits per residentCheckouts per residentSpending per resident
Anne Arundel County Public LibraryAnnapolis, MD590,3362.696.31$56.80
Jefferson County Public LibraryLakewood, CO576,3813.3911.22$77.67
Greenville County Library SystemGreenville, SC525,5342.475.56$41.58
Morris County LibraryWhippany, NJ509,2850.240.51$15.21
Washoe County Library SystemReno, NV508,7591.482.64$30.63
Knox County Public Library SystemKnoxville, TN500,6692.074.34$30.08

Nearest in size within California

All profiled systems in California