Harford County Public Library
Harford County Public Library is a county public library system based in Belcamp (Harford County), Maryland, serving a legal service area of 262,977 residents through 11 library buildings and two bookmobiles. Among the 24 profiled systems in Maryland, it ranks first for operating spending per resident, third for physical checkouts per resident and third for public computers per resident, but records the third-steepest decline in visits since FY 2019.
Among the 121 profiled systems serving 250,000 to 499,999 residents, it ranks fifth for program attendance per resident. Against the median system of its size class, it records 2.4 times the paid staff per resident and 70% more print volumes per resident.
Harford County against the 122 systems of its size class
Harford County in numbers, FY 2024
- Visits
- 776,298
- Physical checkouts
- 2,289,127
- …of children's materials
- 1,180,750
- Electronic checkouts
- 838,855
- …of e-books
- 361,714
- …of e-audio
- 352,181
- Registered users
- 145,635
- Program sessions
- 5,922
- Program attendance
- 203,837
- Print volumes
- 552,982
- Audio items (physical)
- 42,126
- Video items (physical)
- 66,765
- Public computers
- 451
- Public service hours, all outlets
- 29,579
- Paid staff (full-time equivalent)
- 199.2
- Operating spending
- $24.6 million
- …on books and other materials
- $2.9 million
- Overdue fines on print items
- not charged
Where Harford County gets its operating money
Operating revenue came to $25.7 million, or $97.63 per resident. The local-government share sits 10 percentage points above the combined share for the 24 profiled systems in Maryland.
- Local government
- State
- Federal
- Other (fines, fees, gifts, grants)
County libraries of similar size in other states
Of these six systems, two record more visits per resident than this one. None of them matches this system's checkouts per resident.
| System | Based in | Residents | Visits per resident | Checkouts per resident | Spending per resident |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weber County Library System | Roy, UT | 271,926 | 3.98 | 4.87 | $50.95 |
| Union County Public Library | Monroe, NC | 257,682 | 1.41 | 3.19 | $25.20 |
| Henry County Library System | McDonough, GA | 257,669 | 0.76 | 1.28 | $13.93 |
| Washington County Library | Woodbury, MN | 257,137 | 2.66 | 6.81 | $37.83 |
| 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 |
Harford County since FY 2019
Visits were 50% below the FY 2019 count of 1.5 million (size-class median: −30%). Physical checkouts moved 18% down over the same span.
- Visits
- Physical checkouts
Who comes to Harford County programs
Programs for children up to age 11 drew 71% of all program attendance, and sessions averaged 34 people each.
Harford County, building by building
The 11 buildings cover 209,674 square feet in total, 0.80 square feet per resident against a median of 0.46 for the size class. The largest building is Bel Air Branch at 53,964 square feet; the smallest is Norrisville Branch at 4,525. The longest hours, 50.6 a week, are shared by six buildings.
| Building | Type | Town | Hours a week | Floor area, sq ft |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aberdeen Branch | Branch | Aberdeen | 50.5 | 14,200 |
| Abingdon Branch | Branch | Abingdon | 50.4 | 36,700 |
| Bel Air Branch | Branch | Bel Air | 50.6 | 53,964 |
| Darlington Branch | Branch | Street | 50.5 | 4,526 |
| Edgewood Branch | Branch | Edgewood | 50.6 | 19,615 |
| Fallston Branch | Branch | Fallston | 50.6 | 13,500 |
| Havre de Grace Branch | Branch | Havre de Grace | 50.5 | 21,164 |
| Jarrettsville Branch | Branch | Jarrettsville | 50.6 | 14,000 |
| Joppa Branch | Branch | Joppa | 50.6 | 14,200 |
| Norrisville Branch | Branch | White Hall | 50.6 | 4,525 |
| Whiteford Branch | Branch | Whiteford | 50.3 | 13,280 |
| Rolling Reader | Bookmobile | Edgewood | 9.5 | |
| Silver Reader | Bookmobile | Bel Air | 3.4 |
Nearest in size within Maryland
- Frederick County Public Libraries · Frederick · 279,835 residents
- Howard County Library System · Ellicott City · 334,529 residents
- Carroll County Public Library · New Windsor · 173,873 residents
- Charles County Public Library · LA Plata · 168,698 residents