Great River Regional Library, serving an area of 370,000 residents, has a collection of 600,000 books and periodicals; in addition, there are 30,000 CDs, records, cassettes and other audio materials, as well as 28,000 video items, such as DVDs and VHS tapes. Internet terminals are available for use by the general public.
Staffing consists of 115 employees, of whom 11 are fully accredited librarians, plus volunteers. The system comprises one central library and 30 branch libraries. Annual expenditures on the library collection total $960,000. Patrons make 920,000 visits annually, and check out materials 2,500,000 times. Forty percent of all check-outs are children's materials.
