Solano County Library
Solano County Library is a multi-jurisdictional public library system based in Fairfield (Solano County), California, serving a legal service area of 420,393 residents through nine library buildings. Among the 108 profiled systems serving 250,000 to 499,999 residents, it records the seventh-largest gain in physical checkouts since FY 2019.
By population served it is the 20th-largest of the 170 profiled systems in California. Against the median system of its size class, it records 69% more operating spending per resident and 33% fewer print volumes per resident.
Solano County against the 122 systems of its size class
Solano County since FY 2019
Visits were 47% below the FY 2019 count of 1.5 million (size-class median: −30%). Physical checkouts moved 12% up over the same span.
- Visits
- Physical checkouts
Who comes to Solano County programs
Programs for children up to age 11 drew 77% of all program attendance, and sessions averaged 27 people each.
Solano County in numbers, FY 2024
- Visits
- 768,057
- Physical checkouts
- 1,494,911
- …of children's materials
- 686,785
- Electronic checkouts
- 612,696
- …of e-books
- 265,898
- …of e-audio
- 267,089
- Registered users
- 184,970
- Program sessions
- 4,581
- Program attendance
- 121,479
- Print volumes
- 347,578
- Audio items (physical)
- 26,628
- Video items (physical)
- 72,589
- Public computers
- 230
- Public service hours, all outlets
- 26,724
- Paid staff (full-time equivalent)
- 131.5
- Operating spending
- $25.5 million
- …on books and other materials
- $2 million
- Overdue fines on print items
- not charged
Where Solano County gets its operating money
Operating revenue came to $30.5 million, or $72.62 per resident. The local-government share is close to the combined share for the 170 profiled systems in California.
- Local government
- State
- Federal
- Other (fines, fees, gifts, grants)
Solano County, building by building
The nine buildings cover 146,774 square feet in total, 0.35 square feet per resident against a median of 0.46 for the size class. The largest building is John F. Kennedy Library at 35,000 square feet; the smallest is Springstowne Library at 2,700. The longest hours, 62.9 a week, are shared by three buildings.
| Building | Type | Town | Hours a week | Floor area, sq ft |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dixon Library | Branch | Dixon | 54.2 | 8,000 |
| Fairfield Civic Center Library | Branch | Fairfield | 62.9 | 30,000 |
| Fairfield Cordelia Library | Branch | Fairfield | 54.2 | 15,600 |
| John F. Kennedy Library | Branch | Vallejo | 62.9 | 35,000 |
| Rio Vista Library | Branch | Rio Vista | 54.2 | 5,288 |
| Springstowne Library | Branch | Vallejo | 54.2 | 2,700 |
| Suisun City Library | Branch | Suisun City | 54.2 | 10,000 |
| Vacaville Public Library-Cultural Center | Branch | Vacaville | 62.9 | 25,186 |
| Vacaville Public Library-Town Square | Branch | Vacaville | 54.2 | 15,000 |
Multi-jurisdictional 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 Jefferson-Madison Regional Library in Virginia.
| System | Based in | Residents | Visits per resident | Checkouts per resident | Spending per resident |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Middle Georgia Regional Library System | Macon, GA | 270,784 | 1.38 | 1.81 | $24.71 |
| Athens Regional Library System | Athens, GA | 250,788 | 2.16 | 2.85 | $17.63 |
| Jefferson-Madison Regional Library | Charlottesville, VA | 239,717 | 3.53 | 5.30 | $42.23 |
| Tuscaloosa Public Library | Tuscaloosa, AL | 236,780 | 3.45 | 2.17 | $18.07 |
| Eastern Oklahoma Library System | Muskogee, OK | 236,086 | 2.14 | 1.99 | $25.27 |
| Abbe Regional Library System | Aiken, SC | 228,365 | 0.83 | 1.33 | $6.23 |
Nearest in size within California
- Oakland Public Library · Oakland · 449,189 residents
- Santa Clara County Library · Campbell · 456,355 residents
- Long Beach Public Library · Long Beach · 458,813 residents
- Sonoma County Library · Rohnert Park · 478,152 residents