For the seventh consecutive year, the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County has been designated a Five-Star Library.
The Library Journal’s Index of Public Library Service is a national ranking system comparing U.S. public libraries on the quantities of services they deliver based on per capita statistics for library visits, circulation, program attendance and public Internet and WiFi use. The Library Journal gives an overall indication of how libraries stack up to their peers nationally.
“We pride ourselves in the number of services, events and resources we provide to our customers,” said Paula Brehm-Heeger, the Eva Jane Romaine Coombe Director of the Library. “Being named a Five-Star library just cements the idea that our community values us and what we offer them.”
The Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County is among the top two libraries in the country in the $30+ million expenditure category and is one of only five libraries nationwide in its category to receive a Five-Star Library rating. The Library is first in the nation among Five-Star libraries in circulation of digital items with 4.31 eCircs per capita – far outpacing other libraries in our category. This year’s ratings were based on 2017 data, which libraries reported to the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Only two other libraries in the country have seven consecutive Five-Star ratings—Cuyahoga County Public Library and Seattle Public Library.
This year’s recognition is particularly exciting, as the Library embarks on a 10-year building improvement plan. The Library is working with the community and staff to make this valued public space better than ever. The multi-year Facilities Master Plan is called Building the Next General Library and it will be primarily supported with levy funds approved by the taxpayers of Hamilton County in 2018. See the plan by visiting CincinnatiLibrary.org/NextGenerationLibrary.
