2021 Impact Report: Statistical & Financial Summaries
View details about our budget, collections, circulation and pandemic-era offerings such as virtual programs.
2021 Statistical & Financial Summaries
Facilities: Central Library, 26 neighborhood branches and Mobile Services
Staffing: 651 (part- and full-time)
Circulation
| Physical items* | |
| 3.4 million | |
| Media (CDs, DVDs, audiobooks) | 1.1 million |
| Equipment (laptops, tablets, Wi-Fi hotspots, Kill A Watt power meters) | 11,000 |
| Total physical circulation | 4.5 million |
| Digital items | |
| E-books and e-audiobooks | 4.4 million |
| Streaming and downloadable media | 1.8 million |
| Total digital circulation | 6.2 million |
| Total Circulation | 10.7 million |
|---|---|
| Holds placed | |
| Physical items | 2.3 million |
| Digital items | 2.4 million |
| Total Holds | 4.7 million |
Collection Size
| Central Library | 1.02 million |
| Branches and other | 856,000 |
| Total physical collection* | 1.87 million |
| E-collection | 793,000 |
| Total Collection | 2.7 million |
|---|
Patron Visits
| In-building visits to Central Library and branches* | 783,000 |
| Curbside visits | 238,000 |
| Online visits (website and catalog visits) | 10.4 million |
| Total Patron Visits | 11.4 million |
|---|
Social Media
| Facebook fans | 53,000 |
| Twitter followers | 25,000 |
| YouTube Subscribers | 2,160 |
| Instagram followers | 28,000 |
Service Levels and Programs
| Assisted Information questions answered | 218,000 |
| Database sessions | 258,000 |
| Virtual classes, events or activities | 1,000+ |
| Public computer and Wi-Fi sessions* | 637,000 |
Operating Budget
| Personnel | 61.7 million |
| Books and materials | 9.4 million |
| Maintenance, security and utilities | 4.2 million |
| Equipment | 967,000 |
| Supplies | 771,000 |
| Other (City Central costs, software, training and programming support) | 5.6 million |
| Total Operating Budget | $82.6 million |
|---|
*The Library began reopening building for in-person services starting in April 2021, and had reopened all 27 locations by the end of October 2021.
**Our operating budget figures include gifts from The Seattle Public Library Foundation, which accounted for 4.5% of the budget in 2021. Note that the amount and conditions of Foundation grants are at the sole discretion of The Seattle Public Library Foundation’s independent Board of Directors.
Levy Promises Fulfilled
