Lancaster Area Library, serving an area of 220,000 residents, has a collection of 270,000 books and periodicals; in addition, there are 12,000 CDs, records, cassettes and other audio materials, as well as 9,600 video items, such as DVDs and VHS tapes. Internet terminals are available for use by the general public.
Staffing consists of 33 employees, of whom 11 are fully accredited librarians, plus volunteers. The system comprises one central library and 3 branch libraries. Annual expenditures on the library collection total $480,000. Patrons make 400,000 visits annually, and check out materials 1,000,000 times. Forty-four percent of all check-outs are children's materials.