Measure What Matters: 7 Examples of Library Performance Measures

It’s no secret that we love talking about how public sector organizations define and track meaningful performance.

In other Measure What Matters posts, we’ve explored common examples of police department performance measures, public works measures, and university KPIs, amongst others.

In this post, we examine the performance measures and key performance indicators libraries across North America use to assess results for their communities.

Libraries provide some of the most widely used and trusted public services in North America.

While books remain central to their mission, libraries now offer a wide range of services, including digital collections, workforce development, early-literacy programs, public internet access, meeting space, cultural programming, and local history preservation. For many residents, the library remains one of the few free, welcoming public spaces designed for sustained use.

Because libraries deliver such a broad mix of services, performance measurement presents real challenges. Their work often supports long-term, community-wide outcomes that are difficult to capture in a single metric, even as libraries operate within constrained budgets and must demonstrate value to residents, funders, boards, and governing bodies.

Clear, well-chosen key performance indicators (KPIs) help libraries align daily work with strategic goals, allocate limited resources more effectively, and communicate progress in a way that is accessible to both internal staff and the public.

To better understand how libraries approach this work, we analyzed our database of more than twenty thousand performance measures drawn from over two hundred local government organizations across the United States and Canada.

Why Performance Measures Matter for Libraries

Libraries play a unique role in their communities: they serve broad audiences and earn public trust, but their impact is difficult to capture in simple financial terms. One program can advance literacy, social connection, workforce readiness, and digital inclusion simultaneously.

Clear performance measures help libraries navigate this complexity. When aligned with a strategic plan, KPIs support several key functions:

• Clarifying priorities: Performance measures translate broad goals—such as access, equity, or lifelong learning—into specific areas of focus.
• Supporting transparency: Public dashboards allow residents to see how the library is progressing on commitments that were often shaped through community input.
• Strengthening internal alignment: Staff can see how programs, services, and projects contribute to higher-level objectives.
• Building credibility: Consistent measurement helps governing bodies and funders understand how resources are being used and why they matter.

Across the libraries we reviewed, the most effective performance frameworks did not rely on a single “perfect” metric. Instead, they used a balanced set of indicators that together told a coherent story about service use, access, reach, and operational health.

Common Library Performance Measures (With Examples)

Public libraries across North America rely on a core set of performance measures to understand how residents use services, how demand is changing, and where to focus limited resources.

While the specific mix of measures varies by community, several indicators appear consistently across library dashboards and performance reports.

Below are some of the most common library performance measures, along with examples of how libraries are tracking and reporting them in practice.

1. Library Visits

Definition: Total number of visits to library facilities over a given period. In some cases, this includes virtual visits in addition to in-person door counts.

Library visits remain a foundational performance measure because they provide a high-level view of how frequently residents are using library spaces and services.

Louisville Free Public Library, Kentucky

The Louisville Free Public Library reports monthly door counts as part of its Envisio-powered public strategic plan dashboard.

In their December 2025 Community Impact Report dashboard, the library recorded more than 113,000 visits across its system, with year-over-year comparisons included to help contextualize trends.

Tracking visits alongside other measures, such as circulation and program attendance, allows the library to interpret changes in foot traffic in relation to service use rather than in isolation.

2. Registered Cardholders

Definition: Number of registered library cardholders, often tracked as active users within a defined time period.

Registered borrowers are commonly used to measure the reach of library services within a community. Some libraries report total cardholders, while others focus on the number of patrons active within the last year.

Denver Public Library, Colorado

The Denver Public Library ties this measure closely to its values and long-term strategic goals. Denver’s strategic plan, Denver Here, is grounded in the belief that a strong library is essential to a strong community. The plan focuses on creating welcoming spaces and incorporates feedback from customers, staff, partners, and voices historically missing from planning.

Within this framework, Denver tracks Active Cardholders, defined as the percentage of Denver residents with an active library card. For Denver, card is considered “active” if it has been used within the last three years, in alignment with state and federal data collection standards.
Denver provides context alongside this measure to support interpretation and decision-making.

Factors reflected in their Envisio-powered dashboard include:

• Changes in access: Declines in cardholders per capita associated with branch closures and reduced hours during renovation projects.
• Population shifts: Impacts of gentrification and residential turnover on long-term cardholder retention.
• Service design: Recognition that many library services—such as program attendance, reading recommendations, presentations, and some public computer use—do not require a library card and are therefore not captured by this measure.

The library also situates registered cardholders within broader organizational choices and policy decisions:

• Investment focus: No sustained effort to grow cardholder market share in recent years, with the last organization-wide registration campaign occurring in 2015.
• Barrier reduction: Elimination of fines for overdue materials in 2019 to reduce barriers to access.
• Observed outcomes: Following the fine-free launch, 36% of customers whose fines were forgiven re-engaged with a library service within the same year.

Denver defines and contextualizes this measure to support learning and service improvement.

3. Library Circulation

Definition: Total circulation of library materials, frequently divided between physical and digital formats.

Circulation data continues to be one of the most widely reported library performance measures. Many libraries now track physical and digital circulation separately to reflect differences in collection use and access.

Louisville Free Public Library, Kentucky

The Louisville Free Public Library reports monthly circulation totals, as well as eBook circulation, and year-over-year changes as part of its community impact reporting.

This allows staff and the public to see how borrowing patterns are shifting, including changes in demand that may be influenced by seasonality, programming, or digital access.

4. Library Programs Offered

Definition: Number of programs delivered by the library within a reporting period.

Tracking the number of programs offered helps libraries understand service capacity and alignment with community needs. Programs are often categorized by strategic focus areas, such as early literacy, workforce development, technology training, or inclusive and accessible programming.

Brookings Public Library, South Dakota

The Brookings Public Library reports the total number of library programs offered each year as part of its performance dashboard, with progress updated quarterly. This measure supports the library’s 2025–2028 Strategic Plan, which is organized around five core offerings: Collections, Services, Programming, Marketing and Community Outreach, and Staffing and Continuing Education.

Brookings links program counts to operational improvements and partnerships that shape delivery and reach.

Brookings also tracks partnerships that contribute directly to its programming totals, including:

• Adult Services and Programs: Partnerships with the Brookings Disability Awareness Committee to offer American Sign Language classes, and with Prairie Soul Yoga to deliver chair-based and accessible yoga programs.
• Young Adult Services and Programs: Partnerships with local middle and high schools to promote library programs and services for teens.
• Children’s Services and Programs: Partnerships with local schools and community organizations, including the SDSU Softball team, to support larger or more time-intensive children’s programs.

5. Program Attendance and Use

Definition: Total number of participants attending library programs and related services.

Program attendance and use measures help libraries understand how residents engage with specific offerings over time.

These measurements help keep libraries agile. When tracked alongside the number of programs offered, attendance data supports decisions about which programs to sustain, adjust, pause, or expand.

Brookings Public Library, South Dakota

The Brookings Public Library uses program attendance and patron feedback to evaluate existing services for relevance, efficiency, and sustainability. Progress is tracked through its public dashboard and updated quarterly.

To support this measure, Brookings pairs attendance data with structured feedback collected across age groups. Staff rotate surveys through adult, teen, and children’s programs to better understand participation and experience.

Recent examples include evaluations conducted at adult programs such as a Black History Month reenactment, a Fandom Fest keynote talk, and a documentary screening.

6. Public Computer and Internet Usage

Definition: Use of public computers, Wi-Fi sessions, or related digital access services.

Public access to computers and the internet remains a critical service, particularly for residents without reliable access at home. Libraries commonly track computer sessions, unique Wi-Fi users, and related measures such as pages printed.

Louisville Free Public Library, Kentucky

We know we keep bringing them up… but their analytics dashboard is so good!

LFPL reports monthly public computer usage, unique Wi-Fi users, and pages printed. Together, these measures illustrate the library’s role in supporting digital access, job searching, online learning, and access to government and social services.

7. Library Expenditures

Definition: Operating and personnel expenditures related to library services.

Libraries can be seen as unnecessary luxuries or expenditures, but they provide vital services. Tracking this information can help libraries defend their value to granting bodies.

Financial performance measures are often used for benchmarking and internal planning. Libraries may track total expenditures, O&M expenditures per capita, cost per visit, or cost per square foot to better understand how resources are being used.

Saskatoon Public Library, Saskatchewan

The Saskatoon Public Library aligns its financial performance measures with its 2022–2027 Strategic Plan goal to maximize the community’s investment. Expenditure tracking supports long-term decisions about library spaces, infrastructure, and workforce capacity.

They are updating existing branches (with the renovation of the Cliff Wright Library), and planning for more branches as the city grows.

Expenditure measures also support workforce planning. Spending related to staffing and training is tracked to help maintain a diverse, well-equipped workforce capable of meeting evolving community needs. Saskatoon uses financial performance measures to balance fiscal responsibility with continued investment in public library services.

Denver Public Library, Colorado

The Denver Public Library uses expenditure-related measures to assess stewardship and return on public investment. It tracks the per-capita value of library services based on estimated out-of-pocket use.

Using the Maine State Library’s nifty tool, the Library Use Calculator, Denver calculates system-wide return on investment (ROI) as one way to understand whether library services are delivering meaningful value for taxpayer funds.

Denver reports that taxpayers receive more than three times their initial investment over time.

Using Performance Measures as a Planning Tool

Across these examples, several patterns emerge. Effective library performance measurement tends to be:

• Strategically aligned: Measures are clearly linked to goals and priorities.
• Balanced: Libraries track both service use and operational capacity.
• Transparent: Public dashboards make progress visible and understandable.
• Practical: Indicators are updated regularly and used in decision-making.

Rather than attempting to measure everything, libraries benefit from selecting a focused set of KPIs that reflect their unique role in the community.

Other Common Library KPIs

Below is a consolidated list of commonly used library key performance indicators drawn from our analysis:

• Library visits per capita
• Active registered borrowers
• New library card registrations
• Physical item turnover rate
• Number of library programs offered
• Unique Wi-Fi users
• Pages printed
• Meeting room bookings
• Library operating expenditures
• Operations and maintenance cost per square foot
• Operations and maintenance cost per visit
• Staff training or professional development participation

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Libraries continue to demonstrate how thoughtful performance measurement can support transparency, trust, and long-term community impact. By grounding metrics in strategy and sharing progress openly, libraries not only tell their story more clearly—they strengthen their ability to serve.