Henry County Library System
Henry County Library System is a county public library system based in McDonough (Henry County), Georgia, serving a legal service area of 257,669 residents through five library buildings. Among the 122 profiled systems serving 250,000 to 499,999 residents, it ranks seventh-lowest for visits per resident and seventh-lowest for operating spending per resident.
By population served it is the 12th-largest of the 60 profiled systems in Georgia. Against the median system of its size class, it records only 36% of the physical checkouts per resident and 40% less program attendance per resident.
Henry County against the 122 systems of its size class
Henry County since FY 2019
Visits were 33% below the FY 2019 count of 290,801 (size-class median: −30%). Physical checkouts moved 8% down over the same span.
- Visits
- Physical checkouts
Who comes to Henry County programs
Programs for children up to age 11 drew 72% of all program attendance, and sessions averaged 15 people each.
Henry County in numbers, FY 2024
- Visits
- 195,320
- Physical checkouts
- 330,390
- …of children's materials
- 196,639
- Electronic checkouts
- 135,664
- …of e-books
- 41,131
- …of e-audio
- 77,783
- Registered users
- 122,932
- Program sessions
- 2,045
- Program attendance
- 31,078
- Print volumes
- 266,161
- Audio items (physical)
- 7,247
- Video items (physical)
- 5,579
- Public computers
- 156
- Public service hours, all outlets
- 9,593
- Paid staff (full-time equivalent)
- 59.0
- Operating spending
- $3.6 million
- …on books and other materials
- $287,420
- Overdue fines on print items
- charged
Where Henry County gets its operating money
Operating revenue came to $3.9 million, or $15.28 per resident. The local-government share is close to the combined share for the 60 profiled systems in Georgia.
- Local government
- State
- Federal
- Other (fines, fees, gifts, grants)
Henry County, building by building
The five buildings cover 89,081 square feet in total, 0.35 square feet per resident against a median of 0.46 for the size class. The largest building is McDonough Public Library at 28,181 square feet; the smallest is Cochran Public Library at 15,000. The longest hours are at McDonough Public Library, 42.1 a week.
| Building | Type | Town | Hours a week | Floor area, sq ft |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| McDonough Public Library | Central library | McDonough | 42.1 | 28,181 |
| Cochran Public Library | Branch | Stockbridge | 41.2 | 15,000 |
| Fairview Branch Library | Branch | Stockbridge | 41.3 | 15,000 |
| Fortson Public Library | Branch | Hampton | 41.2 | 15,900 |
| Locust Grove Public Library | Branch | Locust Grove | 41.2 | 15,000 |
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 Harford County Public Library in Maryland.
| System | Based in | Residents | Visits per resident | Checkouts per resident | Spending per resident |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harford County Public Library | Belcamp, MD | 262,977 | 2.95 | 8.70 | $93.48 |
| Union County Public Library | Monroe, NC | 257,682 | 1.41 | 3.19 | $25.20 |
| 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 |
| Ventura County Library | Ventura, CA | 244,172 | 1.25 | 2.48 | $52.64 |
Nearest in size within Georgia
- Athens Regional Library System · Athens · 250,788 residents
- Middle Georgia Regional Library System · Macon · 270,784 residents
- Forsyth County Public Library · Cumming · 279,366 residents
- Flint River Regional Library System · Griffin · 295,143 residents