Thirty-four years of LJ data on public library construction yields a picture of healthy growth If the pace of construction, the size of projects, and the money spent on public library buildings represents how well libraries are regarded in America, then libraries are prized. LJ has been compiling data on new and renovated buildings for 34 years now, and through thick and thin libraries get built and revitalized. Overall, the average number of projects per year has remained relatively stable at 214. The average number of projects for the last eight years is 219 per year, a two percent variance from the 34-year average. There has been a significant increase (24 percent) in the number of addition and remodeling projects and a slight decrease (ten percent) in the number of new buildings over the 34 years of data collection. Presumably this is because many of the libraries built over the last few decades are now in need of renovation and expansion, though the current data is not detailed enough to show a cycle for public library construction.

Bigger and bigger

The average square footage built or improved each year is on the increase but primarily for addition and remodeling projects and not new construction, which has stayed essentially the same over the years. On average, there is just over three million square feet of public library space built or improved each year; 1.75 million square feet of new buildings and 1.33 million square feet of additions and remodeling projects. In the last 17 years, there have been approximately two million square feet of addition and remodeling projects compared with 0.75 million square feet in the first 17 years of data collection, which represents a 167 percent increase! In all cases, the average project size has increased over time, and the increases are significant. And, even though the number of projects has remained relatively stable, the amount of square footage built new or improved for each project has been increasing significantly. This trend is borne out when the total amount of square footage built or improved each year is analyzed. For the first 17 years, on average there was approximately 2.5 million square feet of public library space built or improved. This figure increased to 3.7 million square feet per year for the last 17 years. Further, for the last eight years there were 4.3 million square feet built or improved each year on average.

Rising costs

Overall, the total dollars consumed by public library construction each year increased significantly. It appears to be doubling approximately every ten years. More money is spent annually on new buildings; however, the rate of growth of money spent is increasing faster for addition and remodeling projects. As expected, the average cost per project has increased significantly for all types of buildings. The average new project cost is higher than the average addition and remodeling project cost; however, the cost of the average addition and remodeling project is growing faster than the average project cost for each new building.

Year	No.	Avg. Sq. Ft.	AVG. $/SF	No.	Avg. Sq. Ft.	Avg. $/SF
	NEW BUILDINGS			ADDITIONS AND REMODELS
2003	103	22,722	$245.06	92	18,760	$152.75
2002	101	21,230	200.44	111	21,181	151.70
2001	80	24,057	208.28	132	16,786	128.89
2000	114	15,372	189.08	127	17,895	132.53
1999	77	20,202	182.55	118	18,544	128.23
1997	97	22,198	156.70	128	21,177	119.81
1996	100	20,021	204.42	145	15,969	135.69
1995	99	21,241	159.14	124	19,914	114.10
1994	108	16,838	149.05	127	17,039	159.50
1993	113	16,781	141.21	105	17,892	85.61
1992	118	16,399	138.34	115	15,824	112.71
1991	120	12,668	115.86	108	15,643	83.61
1990	127	12,538	110.92	123	13,881	66.64
1989	127	13,864	120.24	123	13,110	83.73
1988	101	14,350	99.52	142	9,016	81.37
1987	101	13,569	99.93	150	10,547	50.90
1986	71	16,084	85.79	120	9,911	50.14
1985	99	8,614	82.76	125	9,817	56.44
1984	48	16,672	98.52	63	8,317	58.71
1983	54	15,467	76.56	42	8,794	50.82
1982	92	22,374	68.93	76	9,707	51.71
1981	82	13,838	75.81	76	12,554	58.05
1980	100	16,627	61.67	65	7,516	41.76
1979	168	17,253	41.78	112	8,148	32.80
1978	135	10,038	54.73	85	7,811	28.45
1977	142	14,789	54.55	69	8,487	29.27
1976	187	9,718	48.27	90	10,893	37.71
1975	125	11,798	43.14	87	6,745	29.34
1974	121	13,636	41.74	74	5 6,951	27.06
1973	96	15,415	37.36	47	23,678	40.87
1972	139	15,045	38.27	52	11,274	24.66
1971	148	13,731	32.08	60	7,704	23.69
1970	191	12,401	31.78	85	10,201	25.71
1969	214	13,472	29.77	84	13,602	18.66
Source: "Library Buildings," 1969–2003, Library Journal

---

Richard Hall is Library Bond Act Manager, Office of Library Construction, California State Library, Sacramento