Warwick Public Library
Warwick Public Library is a municipal public library system based in Warwick (Kent County), Rhode Island, serving a legal service area of 73,192 residents through four library buildings. Among the 45 profiled systems in Rhode Island, it ranks second for physical checkouts, third for total visits, third for operating spending and third for number of library buildings.
By population served it is the fourth-largest of the 45 profiled systems in Rhode Island. Against the median system of its size class, it records 68% more operating spending per resident and 50% more physical checkouts per resident.
Warwick against the 559 systems of its size class
Warwick since FY 2019
Visits were 41% below the FY 2019 count of 394,269 (size-class median: −29%). Physical checkouts moved 25% down over the same span.
- Visits
- Physical checkouts
Who comes to Warwick programs
Programs for children up to age 11 drew 43% of all program attendance, and sessions averaged 19 people each.
Warwick in numbers, FY 2024
- Visits
- 231,931
- Physical checkouts
- 373,309
- …of children's materials
- 153,866
- Electronic checkouts
- 106,331
- …of e-books
- 60,658
- …of e-audio
- 40,881
- Registered users
- 27,388
- Program sessions
- 1,341
- Program attendance
- 25,763
- Print volumes
- 132,326
- Audio items (physical)
- 5,144
- Video items (physical)
- 12,571
- Public computers
- 40
- Public service hours, all outlets
- 6,301
- Paid staff (full-time equivalent)
- 35.9
- Operating spending
- $4.5 million
- …on books and other materials
- $414,048
- Overdue fines on print items
- not charged
Where Warwick gets its operating money
Operating revenue came to $4.6 million, or $62.21 per resident. The local-government share sits 19 percentage points above the combined share for the 45 profiled systems in Rhode Island.
- Local government
- State
- Federal
- Other (fines, fees, gifts, grants)
Warwick, building by building
The four buildings cover 67,941 square feet in total, 0.93 square feet per resident against a median of 0.62 for the size class. The largest building is Warwick Public Library at 62,918 square feet; the smallest is Conimicut Branch at 1,410. The longest hours are at Warwick Public Library, 57.3 a week.
| Building | Type | Town | Hours a week | Floor area, sq ft |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Warwick Public Library | Central library | Warwick | 57.3 | 62,918 |
| Apponaug Branch | Branch | Warwick | 21.1 | 1,637 |
| Conimicut Branch | Branch | Warwick | 21.8 | 1,410 |
| Norwood Branch | Branch | Warwick | 21 | 1,976 |
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 West Bloomfield Township Public Library in Michigan.
| System | Based in | Residents | Visits per resident | Checkouts per resident | Spending per resident |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Johnson City Public Library | Johnson City, TN | 73,337 | 3.35 | 6.55 | $31.92 |
| Maricopa Library & Cultural Center | Maricopa, AZ | 73,300 | 5.08 | 3.69 | $12.38 |
| Ames Public Library | Ames, IA | 73,008 | 4.55 | 10.09 | $74.16 |
| A. K. Smiley Public Library | Redlands, CA | 72,696 | 3.18 | 3.03 | $61.38 |
| Town of Tonawanda Public Library | Kenmore, NY | 72,636 | 2.01 | 5.10 | $18.41 |
| West Bloomfield Township Public Library | West Bloomfield, MI | 72,613 | 10.17 | 17.60 | $78.48 |
Nearest in size within Rhode Island
- Pawtucket Public Library · Pawtucket · 75,604 residents
- Cranston Public Library · Cranston · 82,934 residents
- Providence Public Library · Providence · 59,190 residents
- East Providence Public Library · East Providence · 47,139 residents