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Wisconsin Public Library Service Data

The Library Services Team annually collects statistics from Wisconsin public libraries. Excel files of more than 115 data elements grouped by general categories are available below. Send any questions or report problems to libraryreport@dpi.wi.gov

National library data is available in the Public Libraries Survey data from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) data catalog.

Type of Statistics Year

Preliminary Data

Not certified by the Division for Libraries and Technology or submitted to the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS).

Final Data

All data has been reviewed by the Division for Libraries and Technology for accuracy and submitted to the Institute for Museum and Library Services (IMLS) as part of the Public Libraries Survey (PLS). Formatting and calculation issues may persist in these files due to the complexity of the published files. 

Population Data

Includes the Demographic Services Center's annual population estimates, the library's "add-on" service population, and the sum of the two for the Extended County Population Total.

Statistics at the State and System Level

Includes state totals and averages along with system-wide statistics in order by system name.

1996
1997
1998
1999
2000

2001
2002
2003
2004
2005

2006
2007
2008
2009
2010

2011
2012
2013
2014
2015

2016
2017
2018
2019
2020

 

Statistics at the County Level

Includes county-wide statistics in order by county name.

1996
1997
1998
1999
2000

2001
2002
2003
2004
2005

2006
2007
2008
2009
2010

2011
2012
2013
2014
2015

2016
2017
2018
2019
2020

 

Statistics at the Public Library Level

Includes statistics for all public libraries in the state in order by municipality name.

1996
1997
1998
1999
2000

2001
2002
2003
2004
2005

2006
2007
2008
2009
2010

2011
2012
2013
2014
2015

2016
2017
2018
2019
2020

 

Statistics at the Public Library Level by System and County

Includes statistics for every public library, county, and system in the state in order by system, then county, then by library. County and system totals are included.

1996
1997
1998
1999
2000

2001
2002
2003
2004
2005

2006
2007
2008
2009
2010

2011
2012
2013
2014
2015

2016
2017
2018
2019
2020

 

For additional detail on circulation data, see the 2016 Wisconsin Association of Public Libraries (WAPL) Annual Conference presentation on circulation data.

Please note that there is a known issue in select years prior to 2016 with Hours Open data. Send any questions or report problems to libraryreport@dpi.wi.gov