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Program Description

  Library Services to the Public

MCPL consists of 23 library sites including the Noyes Library for Young Children, the Montgomery County Correctional Facility Library, and the Collection Management Center.

Library services are available to all County residents, Maryland residents, and those working or attending school in Montgomery County, free of charge. Library customers use MCPL services including information services for children and adults delivered in person, over the telephone, and outside the walls; a Public Access Catalog for access to indices and full text materials; downloadable content and streaming services; automated renewal, online catalog, and customer account access (24 hours, 7 days a week); programming for children, teens, seniors, and adults; technologies such as Launchpads, wireless hotspots, and in-house laptops; and meeting rooms and collaboration spaces for public use. MCPL is a fine free library system.

The Collection Development Unit provides for the selection, acquisition, cataloging, processing, and delivery of library content and materials, including electronic resources, ebooks, eaudiobooks, and streaming services. It is responsible for planning and inclusion of new formats and the evaluation of collections in relation to community information needs. Collections are purchased for English learners, as well as collections in world languages.

The materials delivery service delivers new materials, customer requested items, and returned materials among MCPL branches.

The Cataloging and Processing Unit prepares all library materials for use in the branches.

The inter-library loan service provides opportunities for Montgomery County cardholders to use materials from public library systems throughout Maryland, from out-of-state public libraries, and from academic and special libraries throughout the world.

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Program Contacts

Contact Steve Kapani of the Department of Public Libraries at 240.777.0045 or Deborah Lambert of the Office of Management and Budget at 240.777.2794 for more information regarding this department's operating budget.

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Program Performance Measures

Program Performance MeasuresActual FY22Actual FY23Estimated FY24Target FY25Target FY26
Total library collection use 111,616, 463 11,447,283 12,458,873 13,108,969 13,642,200
Library electronic database usage1,065,7253,447,7273,968,9594,291,9454,584,732
Number of library visits 22,540,0983,393,1243,773,6893,919,2674,016,170
Number of public computer sessions112,731164,108207,200239,540265,964
Attendance at library programs 373,677189,168253,000288,000314,000
Active library users 497,185130,931151,000165,000176,000
Number of participants in early literacy programming 522,76354,46560,00064,20068,000
1  This performance measure includes the number of physical items checked out from the library, plus the items used in-house by customers, and the checkouts of ebooks, eaudiobooks, and similar electronic materials. The Potomac Library was closed for renovation from May 2, 2022 to April 15, 2023, which would account for the slight reduction in circulation in FY23.
2  “Library visits” represent customer branch access to services and resources inside the facility. Facilities closure for COVID affected in-person visits by the public. Branches re-opened for public access in three “rolling” phases, beginning June 1, 2021, and ending July 6, 2021. Library public service hours were 48 hours per week per location when they reopened. These public service hours were expanded to 64 hours per branch per week February 27, 2022.
3  Numbers represent onsite and virtual program attendees.
4  “Active user” is a registered MCPL borrower who has used their library card at least once within the 12 month period from current date of data search. These users are associated with a Montgomery County ZIP code.
5  “Early Literacy Programming” comprises the number of attendees at Storytimes. Facilities closure for COVID affected this metric as there was no longer in-person programming. Branches re-opened for public access in three phases, beginning June 1, 2021 and ending July 6, 2021. Library public service hours were 48 hours per week per location when they reopened. These public service hours were expanded to 64 hours per week February 27, 2022. Programming continued to be held virtually through FY21, and in-person early literacy programming resumed May 1, 2022.
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Program Budget Changes

FY25 Recommended ChangesExpendituresFTEs
FY24 Approved46256008361.11
Enhance: Increase World Languages Collection3600000.00
Enhance: Increase Collection Acquisitions Budget to Meet Demand for Digital Materials3152400.00
Shift: Move Budgeted Lapse from Branch Budget to Systemwide Budget for Clarity and Consistency2936900.00
Shift: Move Workforce and Business Development Program to Library Services to the Public Program1911081.00
Increase Cost: Increase in Grant Award for Deaf Culture Digital Library932130.00
Shift: Annual Costs for Software License Renewals and Maintenance Agreements from FY25 Capital Improvements Program to FY25 Operating Budget475110.00
Technical Adj: Chargeback of Part-Time Library Associate to Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation Previously Lapsed0-0.50
Decrease Cost: Mid-Year Conversion of a Library Associate from Part-Time to Full-Time and Abolish a Part-Time Library Assistant I Position at Long Branch Library-84790.00
Decrease Cost: Mid-Year Conversion of a Library Assistant I from Part-Time to Full-Time and Abolish a Part-Time Library Assistant I at Germantown Library-132950.00
Decrease Cost: Discontinue World Book Encyclopedia in Print Which is Duplicated in its Entirety by MCPL's Electronic Resources Collection-200000.00
Decrease Cost: Mid-Year Reclassification of One Part-Time Library Associate II to a Full-Time Library Associate and Abolish One Part-Time Librarian I at Kensington Park Library -233500.00
Decrease Cost: Mid-Year Combinations of Two Part-Time Library Assistant I's to Create One Full-Time Library Assistant I at Little Falls, Aspen Hill, and Olney Libraries-434360.00
Decrease Cost: Discontinue Maintenance Contract on Bibliotheca Self-Checkout Machines Which Will Be Maintained by MCPL Information Technology Staff-466680.00
Shift: Mid-Year Reclassification of a Manager III to a Program Manager II and Move Program Manager II to Administration Program (Human Resources Unit)-148607-1.00
Multi-program adjustments, including negotiated compensation changes, employee benefit changes, changes due to staff turnover, reorganizations, and other budget changes affecting multiple programs.28189440.00
FY25 Recommended50071879360.61