Irving Public Library
Irving Public Library is a municipal public library system based in Irving (Dallas County), Texas, serving a legal service area of 254,373 residents through three library buildings. Among the 109 profiled systems serving 250,000 to 499,999 residents, it ranks seventh-lowest for the electronic share of checkouts.
By population served it is the 16th-largest of the 503 profiled systems in Texas. Against the median system of its size class, it records 38% fewer public computers per resident and 24% less program attendance per resident.
Irving against the 122 systems of its size class
Irving since FY 2019
Visits were 35% below the FY 2019 count of 716,082 (size-class median: −30%). Physical checkouts moved 5% down over the same span.
- Visits
- Physical checkouts
Who comes to Irving programs
Programs for children up to age 11 drew 75% of all program attendance, and sessions averaged 39 people each.
Irving in numbers, FY 2024
- Visits
- 464,688
- Physical checkouts
- 1,106,785
- …of children's materials
- 764,352
- Electronic checkouts
- 211,009
- …of e-books
- 64,314
- …of e-audio
- 73,094
- Registered users
- 35,431
- Program sessions
- 981
- Program attendance
- 38,555
- Print volumes
- 351,849
- Audio items (physical)
- 17,452
- Video items (physical)
- 30,892
- Public computers
- 97
- Public service hours, all outlets
- 9,300
- Paid staff (full-time equivalent)
- 86.5
- Operating spending
- $7.4 million
- …on books and other materials
- $869,688
- Overdue fines on print items
- not charged
Where Irving gets its operating money
Operating revenue came to $7.4 million, or $28.96 per resident. The local-government share is close to the combined share for the 503 profiled systems in Texas.
- Local government
- State
- Federal
- Other (fines, fees, gifts, grants)
Irving, building by building
The three buildings cover 103,570 square feet in total, 0.41 square feet per resident against a median of 0.46 for the size class. The largest building is South Irving Library at 52,570 square feet; the smallest is West Irving Library at 25,000. The longest hours are at South Irving Library, 61.5 a week.
| Building | Type | Town | Hours a week | Floor area, sq ft |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Irving Library | Branch | Irving | 61.5 | 52,570 |
| Valley Ranch Library | Branch | Irving | 60 | 26,000 |
| West Irving Library | Branch | Irving | 60.8 | 25,000 |
Municipal 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 Eugene Public Library in Oregon.
| System | Based in | Residents | Visits per resident | Checkouts per resident | Spending per resident |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ontario City Library | Ontario, CA | 181,224 | 1.40 | 2.01 | $39.17 |
| Aurora Public Library District | Aurora, IL | 180,542 | 3.20 | 5.10 | $73.00 |
| Eugene Public Library | Eugene, OR | 177,339 | 4.71 | 12.76 | $78.98 |
| Rancho Cucamonga Public Library | Rancho Cucamonga, CA | 173,316 | 1.54 | 3.29 | $35.16 |
| Oceanside Public Library | Oceanside, CA | 171,483 | 2.30 | 2.04 | $41.26 |
| Palmdale City Library | Palmdale, CA | 166,055 | 0.35 | 0.90 | $10.20 |
Nearest in size within Texas
- Laredo Public Library · Laredo · 257,602 residents
- Brownsville Public Library · Brownsville · 259,714 residents
- Nicholson Memorial Library System · Garland · 243,470 residents
- Frisco Public Library · Frisco · 225,007 residents