Sarasota County Libraries had an unlikely beginning. In 1907, the Sarasota Town Improvement Society chose to use its savings to establish a lending library instead of buying a hearse. The woman who had suggested buying the hearse, Sarah Young, became the city’s first librarian. More than a century later, that small civic library has grown into a countywide system that functions as far more than a place to borrow books. It’s a community hub that offers all sorts of learning services, from birdwatching backpacks, mobile hotspots, children’s Launchpads and even a Memory Lab for digitizing old family photos and home movies. Here’s a look at the numbers from 2025. 

9,747

The number of community meetings hosted at Sarasota libraries, which drew more than 100,000 attendees in total.

$22 million

Approximate annual budget for Sarasota County’s public library system, which works out to about $45 per resident and about 0.9 percent of the county budget.

2.2 million

The number of items borrowed from Sarasota libraries.

2,618

The number of times The Waiting by Michael Connelly was borrowed, the highest total among adult fiction titles. Nightshade, also by Connelly, was borrowed 1,838 times. Strangers in Time by David Baldacci was borrowed 1,656 times.

80,000

The number of hours spent on library computers.

203,000

The number of Sarasota County residents who have active library cards.

407

The number of times Revenge of the Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell was borrowed, the highest total among adult nonfiction titles. The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins was borrowed 387 times and Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt was borrowed 289 times.

1.4 million

Approximate number of in-person visits to Sarasota libraries.

166,486

The number of people who attended library events, programs and workshops.