Riverside Public Library
Riverside Public Library is a municipal public library system based in Riverside, California, serving a legal service area of 316,690 residents through eight library buildings. By population served it is the 23rd-largest of the 170 profiled systems in California.
Against the median system of its size class, it records 62% more public computers per resident and 38% fewer physical checkouts per resident.
Riverside against the 122 systems of its size class
Riverside in numbers, FY 2024
- Visits
- 457,276
- Physical checkouts
- 696,762
- …of children's materials
- 458,024
- Electronic checkouts
- 189,575
- …of e-books
- 86,356
- …of e-audio
- 44,894
- Registered users
- 240,781
- Program sessions
- 1,802
- Program attendance
- 71,146
- Print volumes
- 277,474
- Audio items (physical)
- 7,415
- Video items (physical)
- 12,529
- Public computers
- 316
- Public service hours, all outlets
- 15,680
- Paid staff (full-time equivalent)
- 74.5
- Operating spending
- $8.1 million
- …on books and other materials
- $1.2 million
- Overdue fines on print items
- not charged
Where Riverside gets its operating money
Operating revenue came to $8.1 million, or $25.58 per resident. The local-government share sits 4 percentage points below the combined share for the 170 profiled systems in California. No federal operating revenue was reported.
- Local government
- State
- Federal
- Other (fines, fees, gifts, grants)
Riverside since FY 2019
Visits were 37% below the FY 2019 count of 722,264 (size-class median: −30%). Physical checkouts moved 7% down over the same span.
- Visits
- Physical checkouts
Who comes to Riverside programs
Programs for a general audience drew 53% of all program attendance, and sessions averaged 39 people each.
Municipal 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 Tacoma Public Library in Washington.
| System | Based in | Residents | Visits per resident | Checkouts per resident | Spending per resident |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nicholson Memorial Library System | Garland, TX | 243,470 | 1.09 | 1.41 | $24.65 |
| Norfolk Public Library | Norfolk, VA | 238,102 | 2.09 | 1.63 | $59.84 |
| Spokane Public Library | Spokane, WA | 233,000 | 5.44 | 2.61 | $58.74 |
| Hialeah Public Libraries | Hialeah, FL | 230,575 | 0.70 | 0.15 | $10.20 |
| Richmond Public Library | Richmond, VA | 226,623 | 2.35 | 2.66 | $39.05 |
| Tacoma Public Library | Tacoma, WA | 225,100 | 2.07 | 5.18 | $91.56 |
Riverside, building by building
The eight buildings cover 116,579 square feet in total, 0.37 square feet per resident against a median of 0.46 for the size class. The largest building is Riverside Public Main Library at 40,000 square feet; the smallest is Marcy Branch Library at 9,000. The longest hours, 37.7 a week, are shared by eight buildings.
| Building | Type | Town | Hours a week | Floor area, sq ft |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Riverside Public Main Library | Central library | Riverside | 37.7 | 40,000 |
| Arlanza Branch | Branch | Riverside | 37.7 | 10,000 |
| Arlington Branch Library | Branch | Riverside | 37.7 | 13,000 |
| Casa Blanca Branch Library | Branch | Riverside | 37.7 | 10,000 |
| Eastside Library & Cybrary | Branch | Riverside | 37.7 | 10,800 |
| LA Sierra Branch Library | Branch | Riverside | 37.7 | 10,753 |
| Marcy Branch Library | Branch | Riverside | 37.7 | 9,000 |
| Orange Terrace | Branch | Riverside | 37.7 | 13,026 |
Nearest in size within California
- Santa Ana Public Library · Santa Ana · 310,797 residents
- Anaheim Public Library · Anaheim · 340,160 residents
- Tulare County Free Library · Visalia · 345,185 residents
- Chula Vista Public Library · Chula Vista · 278,247 residents