Saint Louis Public Library, serving an area of 350,000 residents, has a collection of 2,900,000 books and periodicals; in addition, there are 115,000 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 310 employees, of whom 60 are fully accredited librarians, plus volunteers. The system comprises one central library and 15 branch libraries, plus 3 bookmobiles. Annual expenditures on the library collection total $2,700,000. Patrons make 1,890,000 visits annually, and check out materials 3,000,000 times. Twenty-eight percent of all check-outs are children's materials.
