Five Star Ranking Bestowed Upon Howard County Library System

HOWARD COUNTY, MD — Once again, the Howard County Library System has been designated a 2020 Five Star Library by Library Journal for "delivering excellence in public education for all ages. The five-star ranking is attained by fewer than one percent of public libraries across the country. The HCLS also is the only library system in Maryland to earn this honor.

“Everyone in Howard County can be proud of this honor. Our talented team is passionate about providing extraordinary customer service, engaging classes and activities, and a high-quality collection for our community of voracious readers and lifelong learners. And even during this pandemic, we continue to explore new ways to develop innovative ideas and bring more services to benefit our customers," said HCLS President and CEO Tonya Aikens in a statement.

The Library Journal Index rates U.S. public libraries based on selected per capita output measures, specifically overall borrowing, borrowing of electronic materials (eContent), library visits, class and event attendance, and public internet computer use, wifi sessions, and electronic information. The last item measures usage of online content, such as online research tools (databases).

HCLS per capita numbers, based on a population of 331,414, are as follows: overall borrowing (19.88), visits (6.08), eContent borrowing (3.16), class and event attendance (1.21), and public Internet computer users (1.92) and wifi sessions (.83).