By Staff
The Library of Michigan recently released 2005-2006 public library statistics. Niles District Library proved to be above average in many ways.
Our library holds almost 130,000 books, magazines and other materials.
We serve 25,565 people, so the number of volumes owned per capita is 4.9. The average among Michigan libraries is 3.36 and the national average is 2.84.
On average, each resident of Niles city and township checked out 7.23 items from the library last year.
The statewide average was 6.28, and nationally 7.09.
The Library of Michigan has used the 2004-2005 statistics to calculate the value of public libraries in Michigan.
During fiscal year 2004-2005, Michigan residents checked out 65,583,724 items from Michigan libraries. If residents had purchased these books, videos, or CDs, etc. it would have cost about $2,361,014,064.
Using this same calculation, the 184,757 items checked out at Niles District Library provided district residents with $6,651,252 in value. This is well over five times the annual budget of our library.
Attendance at children's programs statewide was 1,487,576. If Michigan libraries charged an admission fee of $3.00 per child, attendees would have paid $4,462,728.
Attendance at children's programs in Niles last year was 10,552. At $3.00 per child, admission would have been $31,656. The annual expenditures for children's programming at the library is less than $5,000.
These are just a couple of examples of the impressive "bang for the buck" that public libraries provide for their communities.
Each public library in Michigan is required to report statistics to the state library in order to receive funding from the state.
Last year, the state provided public libraries with $1.31 per capita. For Niles District Library, and most other libraries in the state, this accounts for a very small percentage of our funding, about 2.5 percent.
Local funding, including penal fines and property taxes, accounts for the vast majority of revenue for Niles District Library.
Local funding per capita was $39.95 for our library. The Michigan average is $36.96 and the national average is $26.25.
For over 100 years, the Niles Community has chosen to have an above average library.
And the residents have repeatedly voted to provide the level of support needed to continue to make that happen.