Facts and Figures
about Skokie Public Library
| Circulation statistics |
| Collection size |
| Building size |
| Cost/benefit analysis survey |
Circulation Statistics |
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Fiscal year |
Number of registered borrowers | Number of items circulated | Number of reference transactions |
| 1930 | 64 | no record | no record |
| 1938 | 2,507 | 15,567 | no record |
| 1941 | 2,037 | 17,249 | no record |
| 1952 | 4,727 | 46,370 | no record |
| 1960 | 25,308 | 285,392 | no record |
| 1969-1970 | 37,307 | 518,465 | 35,133 |
| 1979-1980 | 26,062 | 513,916 | 111,035 |
| 1989-1990 | 35,171 | 823,069 | 188,874 |
| 1999-2000 | 34,665 | 1,183,020 | 262,050 |
| 2001-2002 | 40,065 | 1,285,638 | 263,310 |
| 2002-2003 | 39,069 | 1,343,707 | 251,617 |
| 2003-2004 | 43,339 | 1,574,244 | 288,975 |
| 2004-2005 | 36,626 | 1,660,761 | 270,258 |
| 2005-2006 | 38,997 | 1,675,008 | 248,924 |
| 2006-2007 | 37,475 | 1,677,550 | 233,065 |
| 2007-2008 | 37,475 | 1,624,757 | 231,936 |
| 2008-2009 | 39,062 | 1,731,452 | 251,951 |
Collection Size
as of April 30, 2009
| Number of items in Adult collection | 350,980 |
| Nonfiction | 176,548 |
| Fiction | 98,467 |
| Audio-visual materials | 57,043 |
| Other | 18,922 |
Number of items in Youth collection |
150,245 |
| Nonfiction | 52,306 |
| Fiction | 64,221 |
| Audio-visual materials | 20,711 |
| Other | 13,007 |
Total number of items in Library collection |
501,225 |
Building Size
| Actual building area in square feet | |
| Basement | 9,021 |
| First floor | 63,208 |
| Second floor | 37,376 |
| Third floor | 23,585 |
| Total actual area in square feet | 133,190 |
Cost/Benefit Analysis Survey of Skokie Public Library in 2002
In the fall of 2002, Skokie Public Library participated in a survey of its patrons as part of a nationwide survey of libraries project funded by the Institute for Museum and Library Services. The purpose of the survey was to estimate (very conservatively) the dollar value of benefits from services provided by Skokie Public Library.
Surveys were conducted with local residents by the survey team under the direction of Dr. Glen Holt, Executive Director of the St. Louis Public Library, with the assistance of a research team from Southern Illinois University. The survey provides Skokie Public Library and the whole survey project with data measuring the direct benefit of library services to patrons.
The results of the survey showed that the citizens served by Skokie Public Library benefit directly from the services provided by the Library. Over 15,000 households and families actively use the Library and the cost/benefit analysis concluded that library services are worth more than $5,000,000 per year to these patrons. Households place the greatest value on access to adult and children's books, and audio-visual materials.