Newark Public Library
Newark Public Library is a municipal public library system based in Newark (Essex County), New Jersey, serving a legal service area of 311,549 residents through eight library buildings. Among profiled systems serving 250,000 to 499,999 residents, it ranks ninth for print volumes per resident, but ranks last for physical checkouts per resident and fourth-lowest for program attendance per resident.
Among the 262 profiled systems in New Jersey, it ranks third for print volumes, sixth for population served and sixth for operating spending. Against the median system of its size class, it records only 39% of the visits per resident and 25% more operating spending per resident.
Newark against the 122 systems of its size class
Newark since FY 2019
Visits were 59% below the FY 2019 count of 655,109 (size-class median: −30%). Physical checkouts moved 45% down over the same span.
- Visits
- Physical checkouts
Who comes to Newark programs
Programs for a general audience drew 39% of all program attendance, and sessions averaged 12 people each.
Newark in numbers, FY 2024
- Visits
- 267,140
- Physical checkouts
- 66,089
- …of children's materials
- 30,731
- Electronic checkouts
- 48,910
- …of e-books
- 15,742
- …of e-audio
- 18,679
- Registered users
- 131,313
- Program sessions
- 1,923
- Program attendance
- 23,462
- Print volumes
- 845,601
- Audio items (physical)
- 794
- Video items (physical)
- 4,117
- Public computers
- 177
- Public service hours, all outlets
- 13,924
- Paid staff (full-time equivalent)
- 116.2
- Operating spending
- $14 million
- …on books and other materials
- $364,919
- Overdue fines on print items
- not charged
Where Newark gets its operating money
Operating revenue came to $12.6 million, or $40.34 per resident. The local-government share is close to the combined share for the 262 profiled systems in New Jersey. No federal operating revenue was reported.
- Local government
- State
- Federal
- Other (fines, fees, gifts, grants)
Newark, building by building
The seven buildings cover 154,654 square feet in total, 0.50 square feet per resident against a median of 0.46 for the size class. The largest building is Newark Public Library at 106,085 square feet; the smallest is Vailsburg Branch at 5,475. The longest hours are at Newark Public Library, 57.8 a week.
| Building | Type | Town | Hours a week | Floor area, sq ft |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Newark Public Library | Central library | Newark | 57.8 | 106,085 |
| Branch Brook Branch | Branch | Newark | 35 | 8,216 |
| North End Branch | Branch | Newark | 35 | 7,000 |
| Springfield Branch | Branch | Newark | 35 | 7,878 |
| Vailsburg Branch | Branch | Newark | 35 | 5,475 |
| Van Buren Branch | Branch | Newark | 35 | 10,000 |
| Weequahic Branch | Branch | Newark | 35 | 10,000 |
Municipal 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 Madison Public Library in Wisconsin.
| System | Based in | Residents | Visits per resident | Checkouts per resident | Spending per resident |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Riverside Public Library | Riverside, CA | 316,690 | 1.44 | 2.20 | $25.58 |
| Corpus Christi Public Libraries | Corpus Christi, TX | 316,595 | 1.68 | 2.32 | $20.21 |
| Saint Paul Public Library | Saint Paul, MN | 310,997 | 4.09 | 5.86 | $72.47 |
| Santa Ana Public Library | Santa Ana, CA | 310,797 | 0.36 | 0.52 | $25.96 |
| Madison Public Library | Madison, WI | 304,881 | 4.50 | 7.12 | $73.59 |
| Lubbock Public Library | Lubbock, TX | 299,167 | 1.15 | 1.86 | $13.85 |
Nearest in size within New Jersey
- Camden County Library · Voorhees · 324,221 residents
- Jersey City Free Public Library · Jersey City · 292,449 residents
- Burlington County Library · Westampton · 363,983 residents
- Monmouth County Library · Manalapan · 425,110 residents