Lexington County Public Library System
Lexington County Public Library System is a county public library system based in Lexington, South Carolina, serving a legal service area of 293,991 residents through 10 library buildings and two bookmobiles. Among the 41 profiled systems in South Carolina, it ranks fifth for total visits, fifth for physical checkouts, fifth for operating spending and sixth for population served.
Among the 108 profiled systems serving 250,000 to 499,999 residents, it records the tenth-steepest decline in physical checkouts since FY 2019. Against the median system of its size class, it records 71% more program attendance per resident and 36% fewer public computers per resident.
Lexington County against the 122 systems of its size class
Lexington County since FY 2019
Visits were 15% below the FY 2019 count of 737,791 (size-class median: −30%). Physical checkouts moved 42% down over the same span.
- Visits
- Physical checkouts
Who comes to Lexington County programs
Programs for children up to age 11 drew 79% of all program attendance, and sessions averaged 22 people each.
Lexington County in numbers, FY 2024
- Visits
- 627,728
- Physical checkouts
- 1,211,880
- …of children's materials
- 763,031
- Electronic checkouts
- 411,645
- …of e-books
- 177,780
- …of e-audio
- 191,917
- Registered users
- 103,097
- Program sessions
- 4,602
- Program attendance
- 100,598
- Print volumes
- 474,156
- Audio items (physical)
- 15,965
- Video items (physical)
- 54,186
- Public computers
- 116
- Public service hours, all outlets
- 31,613
- Paid staff (full-time equivalent)
- 126.5
- Operating spending
- $9.8 million
- …on books and other materials
- $1.2 million
- Overdue fines on print items
- not charged
Where Lexington County gets its operating money
Operating revenue came to $11.1 million, or $37.62 per resident. The local-government share is close to the combined share for the 41 profiled systems in South Carolina.
- Local government
- State
- Federal
- Other (fines, fees, gifts, grants)
Lexington County, building by building
The 10 buildings cover 129,400 square feet in total, 0.44 square feet per resident against a median of 0.46 for the size class. The largest building is Lexington County Public Library System at 48,000 square feet; the smallest is Gaston Branch Library at 4,000. The longest hours, 67 a week, are shared by three buildings.
| Building | Type | Town | Hours a week | Floor area, sq ft |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lexington County Public Library System | Central library | Lexington | 67 | 48,000 |
| Batesburg-Leesville Branch Library | Branch | Batesburg | 56 | 7,900 |
| Cayce-West Columbia Branch Library | Branch | West Columbia | 67 | 20,000 |
| Chapin Branch Library | Branch | Chapin | 44.1 | 6,500 |
| Gaston Branch Library | Branch | Gaston | 33.2 | 4,000 |
| Gilbert Branch Library | Branch | Gilbert | 33.2 | 4,000 |
| Irmo Branch Library | Branch | Columbia | 67 | 25,000 |
| Pelion Branch Library | Branch | Pelion | 40.2 | 6,000 |
| South Congaree-Pine Ridge Branch | Branch | West Columbia | 33.2 | 4,000 |
| Swansea Branch Library | Branch | Swansea | 33.2 | 4,000 |
| Lexington Bookmobile | Bookmobile | Lexington | 67 | |
| Lexington County Public Library Bookmobile | Bookmobile | Lexington | 67 |
County libraries of similar size in other states
Of these six systems, four record more visits per resident than this one. The highest checkout rate in the group belongs to Frederick County Public Libraries in Maryland.
| System | Based in | Residents | Visits per resident | Checkouts per resident | Spending per resident |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LeRoy Collins Leon County Public Library System | Tallahassee, FL | 300,806 | 1.97 | 3.02 | $21.22 |
| Anchorage Public Library | Anchorage, AK | 289,653 | 1.84 | 2.99 | $46.96 |
| Frederick County Public Libraries | Frederick, MD | 279,835 | 3.66 | 8.32 | $69.33 |
| Forsyth County Public Library | Cumming, GA | 279,366 | 2.73 | 8.20 | $34.06 |
| St. Tammany Parish Library | Covington, LA | 277,615 | 2.18 | 2.30 | $40.32 |
| Buncombe County Public Libraries | Asheville, NC | 277,047 | 2.67 | 4.43 | $28.99 |
Nearest in size within South Carolina
- York County Library System · Rock Hill · 282,090 residents
- Spartanburg County Public Library System · Spartanburg · 327,997 residents
- Horry County Memorial Library · Conway · 351,029 residents
- Berkeley County Library System · Moncks Corner · 229,861 residents