Mercer County Library System, serving an area of 140,000 residents, has a collection of 630,000 books and periodicals; in addition, there are 17,600 CDs, records, cassettes and other audio materials, as well as 14,700 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 39 are fully accredited librarians, plus volunteers. The system comprises one central library and 8 branch libraries. Annual expenditures on the library collection total $920,000. Patrons make 960,000 visits annually, and check out materials 1,400,000 times. Forty-four percent of all check-outs are children's materials.