PAL Public Library Cooperative
PAL Public Library Cooperative is a multi-jurisdictional public library system based in Bronson (Levy County), Florida, serving a legal service area of 416,905 residents through 23 library buildings and one bookmobile. Among the 62 profiled systems in Florida, it ranks fifth for number of library buildings, ninth for operating spending and tenth for physical checkouts.
By population served it is the 16th-largest of the 62 profiled systems in Florida. Against the median system of its size class, it records 85% more paid staff per resident and 49% more operating spending per resident.
PAL against the 122 systems of its size class
PAL, building by building
The 23 buildings cover 248,153 square feet in total, 0.60 square feet per resident against a median of 0.46 for the size class. The largest building is Headquarters Library at 79,800 square feet; the smallest is Jail Library at 1,214. The longest hours, 52.5 a week, are shared by two buildings.
| Building | Type | Town | Hours a week | Floor area, sq ft |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A.f. Knotts Public Library | Branch | Yankeetown | 37 | 2,467 |
| Alachua Branch | Branch | Alachua | 49.6 | 11,921 |
| Archer Branch | Branch | Archer | 37.3 | 6,313 |
| Bostwick Public Library | Branch | Palatka | 36.1 | 1,300 |
| Bronson Public Library | Branch | Bronson | 37 | 2,376 |
| Cedar Key Public Library | Branch | Cedar Key | – | 3,706 |
| Cone Park Branch Library | Branch | Gainesville | 44.7 | 9,950 |
| Crescent City Public Library | Branch | Crescent City | 36.1 | 6,100 |
| Hawthorne Branch | Branch | Hawthorne | 49.3 | 5,000 |
| Headquarters Library | Branch | Gainesville | 52.5 | 79,800 |
| High Springs Branch | Branch | High Springs | 49.4 | 8,200 |
| Interlachen Public Library | Branch | Interlachen | 36.1 | 6,000 |
| Jail Library | Branch | Gainesville | 38.2 | 1,214 |
| Library Partnership: A Neighborhood Resource Center | Branch | Gainesville | 44.7 | 10,000 |
| Luther Callaway Public Library | Branch | Chiefland | 42.1 | 3,424 |
| Melrose Public Library | Branch | Melrose | 36.1 | 4,500 |
| Micanopy Branch | Branch | Micanopy | 37.2 | 1,400 |
| Millhopper Branch | Branch | Gainesville | 52.5 | 26,400 |
| Newberry Branch Library | Branch | Newberry | 49.7 | 7,143 |
| Putnam County Library System/Palatka Public Library | Branch | Palatka | 44.7 | 15,000 |
| Tower Road Branch Library | Branch | Gainesville | 52.3 | 23,900 |
| Waldo Branch Library | Branch | Waldo | 37.7 | 7,839 |
| Williston Public Library | Branch | Williston | 37 | 4,200 |
| Alachua County Bookmobile | Bookmobile | Gainesville | – | |
| Outreach Services | Books by mail | Gainesville | – |
A dash marks a value not reported for FY 2024.
PAL in numbers, FY 2024
- Visits
- 980,446
- Physical checkouts
- 2,009,242
- Registered users
- 240,614
- Program sessions
- 7,100
- Program attendance
- 70,251
- Print volumes
- 589,693
- Audio items (physical)
- 43,522
- Video items (physical)
- 128,762
- Public computers
- 369
- Paid staff (full-time equivalent)
- 241.8
- Operating spending
- $22.3 million
- …on books and other materials
- $3.3 million
- Overdue fines on print items
- charged
Where PAL gets its operating money
Operating revenue came to $24.6 million, or $59.10 per resident. The local-government share sits 3 percentage points below 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)
PAL since FY 2019
Visits were 34% below the FY 2019 count of 1.5 million (size-class median: −30%). Physical checkouts moved 37% down over the same span.
- Visits
- Physical checkouts
Who comes to PAL programs
Programs for children up to age 11 drew 57% of all program attendance, and sessions averaged 10 people each.
Multi-jurisdictional libraries of similar size in other states
Of these six systems, two record more visits per resident than this one. The highest checkout rate in the group belongs to Central Rappahannock Regional Library in Virginia.
| System | Based in | Residents | Visits per resident | Checkouts per resident | Spending per resident |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sequoyah Regional Library System | Canton, GA | 361,084 | 1.14 | 2.36 | $15.73 |
| Central Rappahannock Regional Library | Fredericksburg, VA | 347,033 | 3.20 | 6.58 | $38.94 |
| Central Arkansas Library System | Little Rock, AR | 344,553 | 3.53 | 3.46 | $79.19 |
| First Regional Library | Hernando, MS | 321,878 | 1.81 | 2.49 | $16.89 |
| Flint River Regional Library System | Griffin, GA | 295,143 | 1.84 | 2.96 | $20.48 |
| Middle Georgia Regional Library System | Macon, GA | 270,784 | 1.38 | 1.81 | $24.71 |
Nearest in size within Florida
- Marion County Public Library System · Ocala · 413,951 residents
- Collier County Public Library · Naples · 408,363 residents
- Lake County Library System · Tavares · 432,796 residents
- Seminole County Public Library System · Casselberry · 445,870 residents