Library · Prairie
Westland Area Branch
Prairie’s library is the Westland Area Branch, a branch of Southwest Public Libraries, open about 60 hours a week.
IMLS Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024School-district system. Prairie’s branch belongs to Southwest Public Libraries, which serves 147,074 people. The yearly numbers below are for the whole system, not just this branch. A card works at every branch.
Your branch
Westland Area Branch
4740 W. Broad St., Columbus 43228
60 hrsopen a week
29,000sq 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 Southwest Public Libraries
304K
visits
2.1 per resident
1.1M
loans, print + digital
7.6 per resident
705
programs & events
20K attended
64K
library cards
43% 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
2.1 visits · typical 2.1
A little below typical (49th percentile)
Borrowing per resident
5.7 print items · typical 3.2
Higher than 76% of similar-size libraries
Digital borrowing
1.9 e-items · typical 1.4
Higher than 62% of similar-size libraries
Kids’ borrowing
2.4 kids’ items · typical 1.6
Higher than 68% of similar-size libraries
Program attendance
0.1 attendees · typical 0.2
Lower than most similar-size libraries (23th percentile)
Cardholders
43% of residents
Higher than 54% of similar-size libraries
Borrowing & programs
What people use it for
What people borrow
1.1M loans last year
Books & media (adults)43%Kids’ books & media32%E-books, audio & streaming25%
Who the programs are for
705 story times, classes, clubs and events
Money
Who pays for it
$50 per resident a year
Typical for a library this size: $36. Operating budget $7.4M.
Local 33%State 61%Gifts & other 6%
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.