North Dakota public libraries

Another post commenting on Chapter 20 of Give Us a Dollar and We’ll Give You Back Four (2012-13)–now available as a $9.99 Kindle ebook or $21.95 paperback with ISBN 978-1481279161 on Amazon, along with the usual Lulu options.

Sixty libraries are profiled; 21 are omitted. No libraries are in the top two expenditure brackets and only 17% spend $31 or more per capita (compared to half the libraries overall). Benefit ratios are very high, with median 5.12 or above after adjusting for the 95.1% cost of living. No library is in the top bracket for circulation or patron visits. Most libraries are in the lower midrange of circulation, with only 8% circulating 13 or more items (compared to 25% overall). PC use is distinctly low, with only 12% having 1.7 uses or more per capita (compared to 43% overall).

Libraries by legal service area

LSA Count % Outliers
<700 7 11.7% 9
700-1,149 10 16.7% 8
1,150-1,649 11 18.3% 1
1,650-2,249 5 8.3%
2,250-2,999 7 11.7%
3,000-3,999 2 3.3%
4,000-5,299 2 3.3% 1
5,300-6,799 1 1.7%
6,800-8,699 2 3.3% 1
11,100-14,099 2 3.3%
14,100-18,499 2 3.3%
18,500-24,999 3 5.0%
25,000-34,499 2 3.3% 1
34,500-53,999 1 1.7%
54,000-104,999 3 5.0%

Circulation per capita and spending per capita

Circulation per capita correlates strongly (0.51) with spending per capita.

Note that this graph goes to $55, more than the highest actual spending.

Circulation per capita plotted against spending per capita

Circulation per capita (rounded) occurrence by spending category

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