Parma - – For the 10th consecutive year (2010-2019), Cuyahoga County Public Library (CCPL) has received the highest overall score in Library Journal’s Index of Public Library Service (Index). CCPL has also received the Index's prestigious five-star rating for 11 consecutive years (2009-2019).
Published annually, the Index compares U.S. libraries with their peers based on six per capita output measures. Ratings of five, four and three stars are awarded to libraries that generate the highest combined per capita outputs among their spending peers.
Within its peer group – which includes America's largest library systems – CCPL earned the Index's highest overall rating, scoring 2,063 total points, 327 points more than the next closest library system. CCPL's ranking within its peer group for each of the Index's six per capita measures are as follows:
- 1st in per capita circulation of physical materials (e.g. books, audiobooks, DVDs, CDs)
- 1st in number of visitors per capita
- 2nd in e-circulation (e.g. circulation of eBooks, streaming video, streaming and downloadable audio)
- 2nd in public computer use per capita
- 7th in program attendance per capita
- 7th in number of Wi-Fi sessions per capita
“To have received the Library Journal Index's highest overall score for 10 consecutive years is a tremendous achievement for our library system," said CCPL Executive Director Tracy Strobel. "Our consistently high per capita usage is a strong indicator that we are providing the kinds of relevant materials, programs, resources and services that keep county residents coming back again and again. I am exceedingly proud of our staff. Ten years at the top could not have happened without their unmatched commitment to providing excellent services to our communities. I truly feel we have the best library staff and library supporters in America right here in Cuyahoga County."
The 2019 Index derives from data released by the Institute of Museum and Library Services for FY17. A total of 6,333 U.S. public libraries were scored in groupings based on total operating expenditures. Within each group, libraries were rated based on their differences from the averages of the five per capita statistical measures.
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