Library · Memphis
Memphis Public Library and Information Center
Memphis’s library is the Memphis Public Library and Information Center, a branch of Memphis Public Library and Information Center, open about 60 hours a week.
IMLS Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024County system. Memphis’s branch belongs to Memphis Public Library and Information Center, which serves 791,686 people. The yearly numbers below are for the whole system, not just this branch. A card works at every branch.
Your branch
Memphis Public Library and Information Center
3030 Poplar Avenue, Memphis 38111
60 hrsopen a week
330,000sq 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 Memphis Public Library and Information Center
907K
visits
1.1 per resident
1.2M
loans, print + digital
1.5 per resident
4,744
programs & events
102K attended
295K
library cards
37% 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
1.1 visits · typical 2.1
Lower than most similar-size libraries (13th percentile)
Borrowing per resident
0.8 print items · typical 3.2
Lower than most similar-size libraries (6th percentile)
Digital borrowing
0.7 e-items · typical 1.4
A little below typical (27th percentile)
Kids’ borrowing
0.4 kids’ items · typical 1.6
Lower than most similar-size libraries (7th percentile)
Program attendance
0.1 attendees · typical 0.2
Lower than most similar-size libraries (20th percentile)
Cardholders
37% of residents
A little below typical (42th percentile)
Borrowing & programs
What people use it for
What people borrow
1.2M loans last year
Books & media (adults)27%Kids’ books & media25%E-books, audio & streaming48%
Who the programs are for
4,744 story times, classes, clubs and events
Money
Who pays for it
$29 per resident a year
Typical for a library this size: $36. Operating budget $23M.
Local 97%State 3%Federal 0%Gifts & other 1%
Locations
Other Memphis Public Library and Information Center branches in Memphis
And 4 more in Memphis.
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.