How Massachusetts Ranks, July 2002 (v.5, n.5)
Massachusetts was in the top half for most of the ranked statistics in the latest release from the National Center for Education Statistics.*
- Massachusetts public libraries maintain a high level of resources for their residents:
3rd in the number of book and serial volumes per capita (up from 5th in FY1998).
3rd in the number of current serial subscriptions per 1,000 population (up from 5th in FY1998). - Massachusetts residents benefit from the high level of library professionals:
5th in the number of paid FTE librarians per 25,000 population (up from 6th in FY1998).
6th in the number of paid FTE librarians with ALA-accredited MLS degrees per 25,000 population. - Funding still does not quite match the resource and staffing ranks:
14th for total income per capita (down from 13th in FY1998).
13th for local income per capita. - Audio and video resources lag:
14th in the number of video materials per 1,000 population (up from 15th in FY1998).
21st in the number of audio materials per 1,000 population (up from 24th in FY1998). - Circulation up's and down's:
4th in the number of interlibrary loans received per 1,000 population.
20th in the number of direct circulation transactions per capita. - Reference transactions:
24th in the number of reference transactions per capita (enough libraries, over 70% finally reported reference transactions for us to be included).
- Visits:
No ranking was given to Massachusetts in this area because not enough libraries (under 70%) reported numbers for library visits.
Selected Rankings for Massachusetts, FY2000
| statistic | MA value ('00 value) |
MA rank ** | highest ranking state and number of main libraries | value | lowest ranking state and number of main libraries | value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ILL's received per 1,000 | 228.5 | 4 | Rhode Island 48 |
530.52 | Hawaii 1 |
.25 |
| direct circulation per capita | 7.36 | 20 | Ohio 250 |
12.76 | District of Columbia 1 |
1.87 |
| book and serial volumes per capita | 4.90 | 3 | Vermont 190 |
5.09 | Tennessee 183 |
1.80 |
| audio materials per 1,000 | 128.85 | 21 | District of Columbia 1 |
420.49 | Arkansas 43 |
40.80 |
| video materials per 1,000 | 103.87 | 14 | Ohio 250 |
205.46 | District of Columbia 1 |
27.88 |
| current serial subscriptions per 1,000 | 14.06 | 3 | Vermont 190 |
15.11 | Tennessee 183 |
3.37 |
| paid FTE librarians per 25,000 | 6.69 | 5 | Vermont 190 |
7.67 | North Carolina 76 |
2.16 |
| paid FTE MLS librarians per 25,000 | 4.37 | 6 | Connecticut 194 |
5.67 | Montana 79 |
0.70 |
| total income per capita | $33.30 | 14 | Ohio 250 |
$59.93 | Mississippi 49 |
$13.10 |
| local income per capita | $27.22 | 13 | District of Columbia 1 |
$41.43 | Mississippi 49 (Hawaii reported zero local income) |
$9.10 |
| reference transactions per capita | 0.87 | 24 | New York 750 |
1.91 | Kentucky 116 |
0.47 |
* Public Libraries in the United States: FY2000. (NCES 2002-344).
** Massachusetts has 370 independent main libraries.