Through the borrowIT CT program, the 1,403,536 Connecticut residents with library cards can check out items from any and all of the 191 public libraries in the state, even if they don't live in that town.
Program Expenditures | State Funding | Federal Funding | Other Funding | Total Funding | Value of the 2,175,214 Items Borrowed |
Actual FY21 | $703,638 | $0 | $0 | $703,638 | $52,100,000 |
Actual FY22 | $703,638 | $0 | $0 | $703,638 |
All borrowIT funding goes directly to the local library, and those libraries that lend more items to non-residents receive more reimbursement. A library also receives a bonus when the number of items it lends to non-residents exceeds the number of items its card-holders borrow from other libraries. Why? To reward those who put more of their resources into the program than they receive in benefits. Also, by making library materials more accessible to more people, the cost efficiency of each library’s collections is higher.
Download the borrowIT CT Report Creator [Excel] to create a report on any library's borrowIT CT 2022 loans & borrows to specific libraries, as well as the history of the library's borrowIT activity during the past 14 years. Also calculates the estimated impact of funding cuts since 2011 for each library.
Libraries that lend the most to non-residents receive higher payments because they also contribute more of their own resources to the program.
While the E.C. Scranton Library building in Madison was closed for a major renovation from October 2018 to September 2020, library services were relocated to a small, rented space in a different part of town. In the 2016 reporting period, Madison had been ranked at #36 out of 191 for use of the borrowIT service. But in 2020, their ranking was #2, as Madison residents relied on libraries in neighboring towns (Clinton, Killingworth, Guilford, North Branford) while their library was under construction.
Additional examples:
Sample from the borrowIT CT Report Creator [Excel] of the estimated impact of funding cuts since 2011 for Manchester Public Library:
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