2006 Library Rankings

Darien Library Again Ranks in the HAPLR Top Ten

Great American Public Libraries: The 2006 HAPLR Rankings

Darien Library has been ranked as one of the Top Ten libraries in its population category by the HAPLR Index, making it one of the Top 100 libraries in the United States. This year, as in most years, no other Connecticut library was ranked.

Hennen’s American Public Library Rankings (HAPLR) evaluate objective federal government statistics for more than 9,000 US public libraries -- determining ranking on measures of use, circulation, efficiency, and funding. The HAPLR Rankings have been published for seven years, and Darien Library has ranked as one of the Top Ten libraries in its class each year.

Louise Berry, Director, said, “We’re pleased to be recognized once again by the HAPLR Ratings, especially since it is a recognition of the hard work of our staff and Library Board. What interests us is that HAPLR does not evaluate either customer service or technology, two areas where Darien Library is very strong -- so to gain recognition for the other aspects of our performance is gratifying, to say the least.”

The creator of the HAPLR index is Thomas J. Hennen, director of the Waukesha County (Wis.) Federated Library System, and an analyst of library performance measures. Additional information about the index can be found at www.haplr-index.com. Read the latest article on the HAPLR rankings in the November issue of American Libraries.