Rutherford County Library System
Rutherford County Library System is a municipal public library system based in Murfreesboro (Rutherford County), Tennessee, serving a legal service area of 327,503 residents through seven library buildings and one bookmobile. Among profiled systems serving 250,000 to 499,999 residents, it records the largest gain in physical checkouts since FY 2019 and the eighth-smallest decline in visits since FY 2019, but ranks third-lowest for operating spending per resident and sixth-lowest for library floor space per resident.
Among the 184 profiled systems in Tennessee, it ranks third for physical checkouts, fourth for population served, fourth for total visits and fourth for number of library buildings, but ranks third-lowest for print volumes per resident. Against the median system of its size class, it records only 42% of the public computers per resident and 44% fewer paid staff per resident.
Rutherford County against the 122 systems of its size class
Rutherford County since FY 2019
Visits were 5% below the FY 2019 count of 603,759 (size-class median: −30%). Physical checkouts moved 44% up over the same span.
- Visits
- Physical checkouts
Who comes to Rutherford County programs
Programs for children up to age 11 drew 73% of all program attendance, and sessions averaged 21 people each.
Rutherford County in numbers, FY 2024
- Visits
- 571,379
- Physical checkouts
- 1,368,737
- …of children's materials
- 529,020
- Electronic checkouts
- 441,391
- …of e-books
- 181,403
- …of e-audio
- 227,619
- Registered users
- 83,503
- Program sessions
- 2,696
- Program attendance
- 55,489
- Print volumes
- 183,498
- Audio items (physical)
- 8,677
- Video items (physical)
- 22,159
- Public computers
- 84
- Public service hours, all outlets
- 19,393
- Paid staff (full-time equivalent)
- 57.7
- Operating spending
- $3.8 million
- …on books and other materials
- $540,132
- Overdue fines on print items
- not charged
Where Rutherford County gets its operating money
Operating revenue came to $4 million, or $12.16 per resident. The local-government share sits 4 percentage points above the combined share for the 184 profiled systems in Tennessee. No federal operating revenue was reported.
- Local government
- State
- Federal
- Other (fines, fees, gifts, grants)
Rutherford County, building by building
The seven buildings cover 68,725 square feet in total, 0.21 square feet per resident against a median of 0.46 for the size class. The largest building is Linebaugh Public Library at 32,517 square feet; the smallest is Eagleville Bicentennial Public Library at 1,248. The longest hours are at Linebaugh Public Library, 85.3 a week.
| Building | Type | Town | Hours a week | Floor area, sq ft |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Linebaugh Public Library | Central library | Murfreesboro | 85.3 | 32,517 |
| Eagleville Bicentennial Public Library | Branch | Eagleville | 36.1 | 1,248 |
| Historical Research Center | Branch | Murfreesboro | 49.8 | 1,600 |
| Historical Research Center | Branch | Murfreesboro | 40 | 1,600 |
| Myrtle Glanton Lord Learning Center/Library | Branch | Murfreesboro | 67.2 | 3,318 |
| Smyrna Public Library | Branch | Smyrna | 74.6 | 22,500 |
| Technology Engagement Center | Branch | Murfreesboro | 73.4 | 5,942 |
| Linebaugh Public Library Bookmobile | Bookmobile | Murfreesboro | 57.9 |
Municipal 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 Lincoln City Libraries in Nebraska.
| System | Based in | Residents | Visits per resident | Checkouts per resident | Spending per resident |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anaheim Public Library | Anaheim, CA | 340,160 | 1.78 | 2.40 | $46.94 |
| Lincoln City Libraries | Lincoln, NE | 326,716 | 2.52 | 6.28 | $37.41 |
| 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 |
| Newark Public Library | Newark, NJ | 311,549 | 0.86 | 0.21 | $45.03 |
| Saint Paul Public Library | Saint Paul, MN | 310,997 | 4.09 | 5.86 | $72.47 |
Nearest in size within Tennessee
- Clarksville Montgomery County Public Library · Clarksville · 239,872 residents
- Knox County Public Library System · Knoxville · 500,669 residents
- Chattanooga Public Library · Chattanooga · 187,030 residents
- Williamson County Public Library · Franklin · 161,569 residents