Hancock County Library
Hancock County Library is a county public library system based in Bay Saint Louis (Hancock County), Mississippi, serving a legal service area of 46,159 residents through five library buildings. Among the 53 profiled systems in Mississippi, it ranks first for visits per resident, first for operating spending per resident, first for public computers per resident and second for program attendance per resident.
By population served it is the 21st-largest of the 53 profiled systems in Mississippi. Against the median system of its size class, it records 43% fewer physical checkouts per resident and 34% more paid staff per resident.
Hancock County against the 964 systems of its size class
Hancock County since FY 2019
Visits were 37% above the FY 2019 count of 221,699 (size-class median: −28%). Physical checkouts moved 31% down over the same span.
- Visits
- Physical checkouts
Who comes to Hancock County programs
Programs for adults drew 40% of all program attendance, and sessions averaged 19 people each.
Hancock County in numbers, FY 2024
- Visits
- 302,717
- Physical checkouts
- 104,367
- …of children's materials
- 44,470
- Electronic checkouts
- 41,457
- …of e-books
- 18,114
- …of e-audio
- 15,217
- Registered users
- 17,055
- Program sessions
- 1,435
- Program attendance
- 26,721
- Print volumes
- 90,760
- Audio items (physical)
- 6,391
- Video items (physical)
- 14,016
- Public computers
- 107
- Public service hours, all outlets
- 11,685
- Paid staff (full-time equivalent)
- 28.7
- Operating spending
- $2.2 million
- …on books and other materials
- $182,221
- Overdue fines on print items
- not charged
Where Hancock County gets its operating money
Operating revenue came to $2.1 million, or $44.64 per resident. The local-government share sits 6 percentage points below the combined share for the 53 profiled systems in Mississippi.
- Local government
- State
- Federal
- Other (fines, fees, gifts, grants)
Hancock County, building by building
The five buildings cover 51,356 square feet in total, 1.11 square feet per resident against a median of 0.74 for the size class. The largest building is Bay St. Louis-Hancock County Library at 20,840 square feet; the smallest is East Hancock Public Library at 6,294. The longest hours are at Bay St. Louis-Hancock County Library, 50 a week.
| Building | Type | Town | Hours a week | Floor area, sq ft |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bay St. Louis-Hancock County Library | Central library | Bay St. Louis | 50 | 20,840 |
| Charles B. Murphy Pearlington Public Library | Branch | Pearlington | 38.7 | 7,621 |
| East Hancock Public Library | Branch | Diamondhead | 42.5 | 6,294 |
| Kiln Public Library | Branch | Kiln | 47.2 | 9,554 |
| Waveland Public Library | Branch | Waveland | 46.2 | 7,047 |
County libraries of similar size in other states
None of these six systems records more visits per resident than this one. The highest checkout rate in the group belongs to Gallatin Public Library of Sumner County in Tennessee.
| System | Based in | Residents | Visits per resident | Checkouts per resident | Spending per resident |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gallatin Public Library of Sumner County | Gallatin, TN | 47,090 | 1.54 | 2.49 | $14.24 |
| Moultrie-Colquitt County Library System | Moultrie, GA | 46,366 | 1.02 | 1.31 | $16.26 |
| Lawrence County Public Library | Lawrenceburg, TN | 46,114 | 0.74 | 1.58 | $9.85 |
| Vernon Parish Library | Leesville, LA | 45,819 | 2.13 | 2.39 | $26.49 |
| Thomas County Public Library System | Thomasville, GA | 45,781 | 2.36 | 2.11 | $30.75 |
| Hendry County Library System | Clewiston, FL | 45,413 | 1.19 | 1.10 | $18.09 |
Nearest in size within Mississippi
- Pine Forest Regional Library · Richton · 43,672 residents
- Warren County-Vicksburg Public Library · Vicksburg · 42,298 residents
- Washington County Library · Greenville · 41,946 residents
- Starkville-Oktibbeha County Public Library System · Starkville · 51,203 residents