Did You Know?

Georgians rely on public libraries for education, information and entertainment.

The number of annual visitors to Georgia's public libraries in FY2011 far exceeds the number of visitors to many of the state's other attractions — combined.

  • Georgia's public libraries: 34.6 million
  • Overnight visitors to City of Savannah: 6.5 million
  • Stone Mountain Park: 4 million
  • Centennial Olympic Park: 3 million
  • Events at the Georgia World Congress Center and the Georgia Dome: 2.4 million
  • Atlanta Braves: 2.4 million
  • Georgia Aquarium: 2.3 million
  • UGA and Georgia Tech home football games: 835,000
  • Zoo Atlanta: 770,000
  • Atlanta Hawks home games: 641,000

Georgians value the benefits their public library cards provide.

  • Georgia population: 10.2 million
  • Georgia total households: 4 million
  • Number of Georgians with library cards: 4.5 million
  • Number of Georgians with PINES cards: 2.6 million

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Georgia Public Library Statistics FY2011

Georgians believe public libraries are a vital part of their communities.

  • 3,055 Georgians work in public libraries.
  • 2,500+ Georgians volunteer with public libraries as members of local "Friends of the Library" organizations.
  • 1,960 Georgians serve as trustees for local public libraries.

Source: Georgia Public Library Statistics FY2011

Public libraries are accessible to virtually every community in Georgia.

In Georgia, there are:

  • 405 public library branches and service outlets
  • 214 communities with a public golf course
  • 211 Starbucks stores
  • 179 Publix grocery stores
  • 140 Wal-Mart stores
  • 65 state parks

Sources: Georgia Public Library Statistics FY2011, Georgia Department of Economic Development, various retailers' Web sites and annual reports

Originally published in Did you know? Facts about Georgia Public Libraries (PDF)