‘Focal point’: Why library patrons think Salt Lake County Library earned spot in Top 10 in the US

SALT LAKE CITY — Salt Lake County loves to read, and the numbers back it up.

Over 2024, residents checked out over 12½ million items, making the County Library — a system of 18 libraries scattered throughout Salt Lake County — one of the Top 10 highest circulating libraries across the country.

Joey McNamee, director of the Salt Lake County Library, said that on average, 900 people come through the doors of the 18 different libraries every hour they’re open.

This type of visitation and circulation indicates a vibrant and “bustling” library system.

“We want to keep materials in our branches that are popular to our patrons. Our teams, throughout the system, pay very close attention to the items that are being checked out and the items that people are interested in so that we are providing the materials that people want to read,” McNamee said. “When we are a Top 10 circulating library in the country — when there are thousands of library systems throughout the country — we know that work is paying off.”

Library patrons seem to agree, too.

Sean Brennan is a Salt Lake County resident who said he uses the library system nearly every week. For him, it’s a chance to bond with his daughter.

“She likes to come here and hang out at the kids’ section of the library,” Brennan said. “And then, you know, we get some books and take them home.”

He added he appreciates the family-focused aspect of the library system.

“There’s a lot of, like, kid stuff that they have organized around keeping the kids entertained,” Brennan said. “…A lot of fun activities throughout the year that they do. There’s a lot of selection as far as, like, books are concerned. Whatever they’re interested in that time, it’s easy to find something that she’ll enjoy reading with me.”

Paul Wang, who lives in South Salt Lake, said he and his family enjoy the library system for a number of reasons. His kids love the playground at Granite Library, the books, of course, and Wang uses Granite’s charging facility for his electric vehicle.

While he uses the library for his personal reading needs, he also appreciates that the system offers DVD and video rentals.

“It’s convenient, you know?” Wang said. “It’s just close by, and sometimes I can just even walk over. It think it’s a great way to use the tax dollars … to create a kind of community or a focal point.”

McNamee echoed this, expressing how the library offers more than just books, with programs, homework help, creative spaces, language learning and more, all through a free library card.

And in a day where people can access books and a litany of other forms of media instantly though Amazon, Barnes & Noble and more, what is it about libraries that keep them relevant in an ever increasing digital age?

People like to feel like they’re a part of community. And when you’re coming into a library … and you’re surrounded by people who are also there because they love reading and want to have this sense of community, that’s really special and harder to get.

– Joey McNamee, Salt Lake County Library director

McNamee said she thinks libraries still have a prominent place in contemporary society for many reasons.

One, obviously, is the affordability aspect.

For large families, McNamee said, getting a lot of books and other forms of media can be quite costly and add up quickly.

“We also have database access and movie streaming services. There are many ways for people to access these resources for free that would otherwise cost maybe not a ton of money with each item or each rental or use but could add up considerably over the course of a year,” she said.

Aside from that, she believes in a palpable, innate sense of magic that is felt within the confines of a library.

“People like to feel like they’re a part of community. And when you’re coming into a library … and you’re surrounded by people who are also there because they love reading and want to have this sense of community, that’s really special and harder to get,” said McNamee. “It’s kind of ironic that the availability of instant information electronically seems like it would make libraries less relevant but, in some ways, makes them more relevant as these critical community hubs.”

As for specific books, here’s what Salt Lake County residents checked out the most in 2024.

For adults, the Top 3 titles were:

1. “Fourth Wing,” by Rebecca Yarros
2. “The Women,” by Kristin Hannah
3. “A Court of Thorns and Roses,” by Sarah J. Maas

The most popular teen titles:

1. “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes,” by Suzanne Collins
2. “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone,” by J.K. Rowling
3. “The Lightning Thief,” by Rick Riordan

Most popular kids’ titles were:

1. “Twenty Thousand Fleas Under the Sea,” by Dav Pilkey
2. “Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Big Shot,” by Jeff Kinney
3. “Fablehaven,” by Brandon Mull

Read the full story at KSL.com

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