The seventh of 49 notes on Chapter 20 of Give Us a Dollar and We’ll Give You Back Four (2012-13), this time on the public libraries of Connecticut.
Connecticut has 178 libraries in the tables and 17 omitted libraries. Funding is generally good, with roughly 16% in each of the top four brackets ($36 and up) and less than 8% in the bottom three combined (under $21). Adjusted for Connecticut’s cost of living, the median benefit ratio for every bracket exceeds four.
Circulation is “bulgy,” with very few libraries in the highest and lowest activity brackets and quite a few in the middle brackets, but still on the high side, with 62% circulating at least eight items per capita (compared to 50% overall). There’s consistent correlation between expenditures and circulation. Visits per capita are also slightly bulgy (few libraries at either extreme). Program attendance is better than average: nearly half the libraries (46%) have at least 0.5 attendance per capita, compared to exactly one-third overall. (Expenditures correlate nicely with program success here as well.) On the other hand, PC use is on the low side: Only 8% show at least 2.25 uses per capita (compared to 19% overall) and only 46% have at least one use per capita (compared to 57% overall). Even for the best-funded libraries, the median is no more than 1.6 uses per capita.
Libraries by legal service area
| LSA | Count | % | Outliers |
| 700-1,149 |
2 |
1.1% |
|
| 1,150-1,649 |
4 |
2.2% |
|
| 1,650-2,249 |
6 |
3.4% |
1 |
| 2,250-2,999 |
6 |
3.4% |
|
| 3,000-3,999 |
9 |
5.1% |
|
| 4,000-5,299 |
11 |
6.2% |
|
| 5,300-6,799 |
13 |
7.3% |
|
| 6,800-8,699 |
9 |
5.1% |
5 |
| 8,700-11,099 |
17 |
9.6% |
|
| 11,100-14,099 |
15 |
8.4% |
|
| 14,100-18,499 |
19 |
10.7% |
1 |
| 18,500-24,999 |
18 |
10.1% |
5 |
| 25,000-34,499 |
17 |
9.6% |
2 |
| 34,500-53,999 |
13 |
7.3% |
1 |
| 54,000-104,999 |
14 |
7.9% |
2 |
| 105,000-4.1 mill. |
5 |
2.8% |
Circulation per capita and spending per capita
Circulation per capita correlates very strongly (0.76) with spending per capita
Circulation per capita plotted against spending per capita
Circulation per capita (rounded) occurrence by spending category
