Jackson-George Regional Library System
Jackson-George Regional Library System is a multi-jurisdictional public library system based in Pascagoula (Jackson County), Mississippi, serving a legal service area of 172,008 residents through eight library buildings. Among the 53 profiled systems in Mississippi, it ranks second for operating spending, third for total visits, third for program attendance and fourth for physical checkouts.
Among the 325 profiled systems serving 100,000 to 249,999 residents, it records the third-steepest decline in physical checkouts since FY 2019. Against the median system of its size class, it records 46% more program attendance per resident and 31% fewer physical checkouts per resident.
Jackson-George Regional against the 360 systems of its size class
Jackson-George Regional in numbers, FY 2024
- Visits
- 313,817
- Physical checkouts
- 361,955
- …of children's materials
- 117,095
- Electronic checkouts
- 63,028
- …of e-books
- 14,486
- …of e-audio
- 28,402
- Registered users
- 136,601
- Program sessions
- 2,101
- Program attendance
- 56,213
- Print volumes
- 227,568
- Audio items (physical)
- 11,777
- Video items (physical)
- 63,742
- Public computers
- 106
- Public service hours, all outlets
- 18,410
- Paid staff (full-time equivalent)
- 72.4
- Operating spending
- $4.6 million
- …on books and other materials
- $439,500
- Overdue fines on print items
- charged
Where Jackson-George Regional gets its operating money
Operating revenue came to $4.4 million, or $25.83 per resident. The local-government share sits 10 percentage points above the combined share for the 53 profiled systems in Mississippi.
- Local government
- State
- Federal
- Other (fines, fees, gifts, grants)
Multi-jurisdictional 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 Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library in Kansas.
| System | Based in | Residents | Visits per resident | Checkouts per resident | Spending per resident |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Statesboro Regional Public Libraries | Statesboro, GA | 181,925 | 1.22 | 1.60 | $14.81 |
| Kitchigami Regional Library | Pine River, MN | 180,765 | 1.69 | 2.49 | $21.64 |
| Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library | Topeka, KS | 173,973 | 2.62 | 6.20 | $116.12 |
| Sara Hightower Regional Library System | Rome, GA | 170,341 | 1.94 | 1.93 | $16.71 |
| Northwestern Regional Library | Elkin, NC | 166,502 | 1.57 | 2.64 | $17.21 |
| Southeast Oklahoma Library System | McAlester, OK | 164,633 | 2.64 | 2.15 | $44.41 |
Jackson-George Regional since FY 2019
Visits were 40% below the FY 2019 count of 522,792 (size-class median: −29%). Physical checkouts moved 61% down over the same span.
- Visits
- Physical checkouts
Who comes to Jackson-George Regional programs
Programs for adults drew 51% of all program attendance, and sessions averaged 27 people each.
Jackson-George Regional, building by building
The eight buildings cover 105,157 square feet in total, 0.61 square feet per resident against a median of 0.51 for the size class. The largest building is Pascagoula Public Library at 36,833 square feet; the smallest is East Central Public Library at 7,107. The longest hours, 53.8 a week, are shared by five buildings.
| Building | Type | Town | Hours a week | Floor area, sq ft |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pascagoula Public Library | Central library | Pascagoula | 45 | 36,833 |
| East Central Public Library | Branch | Moss Point | 53.8 | 7,107 |
| Ina Thompson Moss Point Library | Branch | Moss Point | 45 | 9,430 |
| Kathleen McIlwain Public Library of Gautier | Branch | Gautier | 53.8 | 9,500 |
| Lucedale-George County Public Library | Branch | Lucedale | 53.8 | 9,367 |
| Ocean Springs Municipal Library | Branch | Ocean Springs | 45 | 16,421 |
| St. Martin Public Library | Branch | Biloxi | 53.8 | 8,549 |
| Vancleave Public Library | Branch | Vancleave | 53.8 | 7,950 |
Nearest in size within Mississippi
- Harrison County Library System · Gulfport · 210,612 residents
- Jackson/Hinds Library System · Jackson · 214,870 residents
- Central Mississippi Regional Library · Brandon · 227,738 residents
- Madison County Library System · Canton · 112,511 residents