Hillsborough County Public Library Cooperative
Hillsborough County Public Library Cooperative is a county public library system based in Tampa (Hillsborough), Florida, serving a legal service area of 1,559,678 residents through 28 library buildings and two bookmobiles. Among the 35 profiled systems serving 1 million or more residents, it ranks third for local government's share of operating revenue and tenth for public computers per resident, but ranks fourth-lowest for print volumes per resident and records the eighth-steepest decline in physical checkouts since FY 2019.
Among profiled systems in Florida, it ranks third for population served, third for operating spending, third for number of library buildings and fourth for total visits, but ranks last for program attendance per resident. Against the median system of its size class, it records 23% fewer visits per resident and 18% fewer physical checkouts per resident.
Hillsborough County against the 35 systems of its size class
Hillsborough County in numbers, FY 2024
- Visits
- 2,520,476
- Physical checkouts
- 3,613,923
- Registered users
- 786,971
- Program sessions
- 7,915
- Program attendance
- 110,883
- Print volumes
- 902,935
- Audio items (physical)
- 31,447
- Video items (physical)
- 138,383
- Public computers
- 1,267
- Paid staff (full-time equivalent)
- 416.0
- Operating spending
- $58.6 million
- …on books and other materials
- $7.7 million
- Overdue fines on print items
- not charged
Where Hillsborough County gets its operating money
Operating revenue came to $83.8 million, or $53.72 per resident. The local-government share sits 4 percentage points above the combined share for the 62 profiled systems in Florida. No federal operating revenue was reported.
- Local government
- State
- Federal
- Other (fines, fees, gifts, grants)
County libraries of similar size in other states
Of these six systems, three record more visits per resident than this one. The highest checkout rate in the group belongs to Columbus Metropolitan Library in Ohio.
| System | Based in | Residents | Visits per resident | Checkouts per resident | Spending per resident |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gwinnett County Public Library System | Lawrenceville, GA | 992,705 | 2.06 | 2.73 | $25.88 |
| Columbus Metropolitan Library | Columbus, OH | 971,930 | 5.63 | 9.76 | $85.18 |
| Prince George's County Memorial Library System | Largo, MD | 955,306 | 1.42 | 1.80 | $41.80 |
| Buffalo and Erie County Public Library | Buffalo, NY | 954,236 | 0.73 | 1.06 | $34.33 |
| Salt Lake County Library | West Jordan, UT | 926,667 | 3.04 | 9.72 | $55.74 |
| Kern County Library | Bakersfield, CA | 888,074 | 0.79 | 0.85 | $11.75 |
Hillsborough County since FY 2019
Visits were 33% below the FY 2019 count of 3.8 million (size-class median: −34%). Physical checkouts moved 38% down over the same span.
- Visits
- Physical checkouts
Who comes to Hillsborough County programs
Programs for children up to age 11 drew 84% of all program attendance, and sessions averaged 14 people each.
Hillsborough County, building by building
The 28 buildings cover 619,431 square feet in total, 0.40 square feet per resident against a median of 0.39 for the size class. The largest building is John F. Germany Public Library at 98,899 square feet; the smallest is Port Tampa City Library at 5,455. The longest hours, 56.4 a week, are shared by nine buildings.
| Building | Type | Town | Hours a week | Floor area, sq ft |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 78th Street Community Library | Branch | Tampa | 45.4 | 9,546 |
| Arthenia L. Joyner University Area Community Library | Branch | Tampa | 56.4 | 15,000 |
| Austin Davis Library | Branch | Odessa | 45.2 | 10,325 |
| Bloomingdale Regional Library | Branch | Valrico | 56.4 | 25,000 |
| Brandon Regional Library | Branch | Brandon | 56.4 | 20,000 |
| Bruton Memorial Library | Branch | Plant City | – | 20,000 |
| C. Blythe Andrews, Jr. Branch | Branch | Tampa | 56.4 | 24,000 |
| Charles J. Fendig Public Library | Branch | Tampa | 40.9 | 11,664 |
| Egypt Lake Partnership Library | Branch | Tampa | 26.2 | 7,500 |
| James J. Lunsford Law Library | Branch | Tampa | 50.8 | 10,000 |
| Jan K. Platt Regional Library | Branch | Tampa | 56.1 | 25,000 |
| Jimmie B. Keel Regional Library | Branch | Tampa | 56.4 | 35,562 |
| John F. Germany Public Library | Branch | Tampa | 56.2 | 98,899 |
| Lutz Branch Library | Branch | Lutz | 45.5 | 12,000 |
| Maureen B. Gauzza Public Library | Branch | Tampa | 56.4 | 25,000 |
| New Tampa Regional Library | Branch | Tampa | 56.4 | 25,000 |
| North Tampa Branch Library | Branch | Tampa | 56.4 | 23,350 |
| Port Tampa City Library | Branch | Tampa | 42 | 5,455 |
| Riverview Branch Library | Branch | Riverview | 56.1 | 35,000 |
| Robert W. Saunders, Sr. Branch | Branch | Tampa | 38.1 | 26,000 |
| Ruskin Branch Library | Branch | Ruskin | 45.4 | 7,224 |
| Seffner/Mango Branch Library | Branch | Seffner | 45.5 | 16,000 |
| Seminole Heights Branch Library | Branch | Tampa | 49.2 | 22,200 |
| Southshore Regional Public Library | Branch | Ruskin | 56.4 | 43,680 |
| Temple Terrace Library | Branch | Temple Terrace | – | 20,000 |
| Thonotosassa Branch Library | Branch | Thonotosassa | 44.8 | 11,189 |
| Town `n Country Regional | Branch | Tampa | 56.2 | 24,837 |
| West Tampa Branch Library | Branch | Tampa | 40.5 | 10,000 |
| Tampa-Hillsborough County Public Library System Bookmobile | Two bookmobiles | Tampa | – |
A dash marks a value not reported for FY 2024.
Nearest in size within Florida
- Orange County Library District · Orlando · 1,457,330 residents
- Broward County Libraries Division · Fort Lauderdale · 1,776,271 residents
- Jacksonville Public Library · Jacksonville · 1,062,145 residents
- Miami-Dade Public Library System · Miami · 2,406,299 residents