October 16, 2008

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Sheri Waite, Marshall Public Library, at 232-1263 x 22
or swaite@marshallpl.org

MARSHALL PUBLIC LIBRARY RANKED BEST IN IDAHO

For the second consecutive time, Pocatello’s Marshall Public Library has been ranked #1 in the state of Idaho by Hennen’s American Public Library Ratings (HAPLR) Index, the definitive ranking of libraries in America.

The rating is not an award, but a statistical index that identifies public libraries in America with the highest input and output measures, and categorizes each by population. Statistics are collected from nearly 9,000 public libraries in the U.S. Once again the Marshall Public Library scored highest among the six Idaho libraries serving populations over 50,000.

The Marshall Public Library:

· Is visited over 325,000 times annually (that’s 6 visits by each Pocatello resident);

· Owns over 157,000 books, audios, videos, and CDs, including 13,000 new items;

· Is open 3,376 hours annually;

· Checks out over 521,000 items per year (9.6 items for each person in town);

· Sponsored 674 programs last year which were attended by over 30,402 children and adults;

· Subscribes to nearly 200 newspapers, magazines and other publications; and

· Has been enriching the community for over 100 years.

The Marshall Public Library ranked 9th in the seven state western region for libraries of similar size. The HAPLR index can be found at www.haplr-index.com.

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