Library · Columbus
Columbus Metropolitan Library
Columbus’s library is the Columbus Metropolitan Library, a branch of Columbus Metropolitan Library, open about 70 hours a week.
IMLS Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024County system. Columbus’s branch belongs to Columbus Metropolitan Library, which serves 971,930 people. The yearly numbers below are for the whole system, not just this branch. A card works at every branch.
Your branch
Columbus Metropolitan Library
96 S Grant Ave, Columbus 43215
70 hrsopen a week
255,400sq ft
Fine-freeNo late fees on books returned late
E-books & audiobooksBorrow from home with your card
Auto-renews loansBooks renew on their own if no one’s waiting
Research databasesOnline courses, journals, genealogy and more
Fiscal year 2024
A year at Columbus Metropolitan Library
5.5M
visits
5.6 per resident
14M
loans, print + digital
14.2 per resident
15K
programs & events
433K attended
659K
library cards
68% of people served
How it compares
Against libraries serving 100,000+ people
Per-resident numbers, compared only with libraries of a similar size across the country, because a tiny town’s library always looks busier per person.
Visits per resident
5.6 visits · typical 2.1
Top 10% of similar-size libraries
Borrowing per resident
9.8 print items · typical 3.2
Top 10% of similar-size libraries
Digital borrowing
4.4 e-items · typical 1.4
Top 10% of similar-size libraries
Kids’ borrowing
5.1 kids’ items · typical 1.6
Top 10% of similar-size libraries
Program attendance
0.4 attendees · typical 0.2
Higher than 86% of similar-size libraries
Cardholders
68% of residents
Higher than 85% of similar-size libraries
Borrowing & programs
What people use it for
What people borrow
14M loans last year
Books & media (adults)33%Kids’ books & media36%E-books, audio & streaming31%
Who the programs are for
14,611 story times, classes, clubs and events
Money
Who pays for it
$85 per resident a year
Typical for a library this size: $36. Operating budget $83M.
Local 71%State 22%Gifts & other 7%
Locations
Other Columbus Metropolitan Library branches in Columbus
And 5 more in Columbus.
About these numbers
How to read this page
Hours are an averageThe survey reports a building’s public hours for the whole year. We divide by the weeks it was open, so check the library’s own site for today’s hours.
Compared by size“Similar-size” means libraries serving about as many people, nationwide. Per-resident numbers always flatter the smallest towns, so they’re never compared with big cities.
One year, the library’s own countLibraries report their own visits, loans and programs for fiscal year 2024. A library that didn’t respond keeps its address and hours here, with no numbers.
Source: Institute of Museum and Library Services, Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024. Distances are straight-line from the town center.