Welcome to Madison Public Library

Governance

The Madison Public Library an agency of the City of Madison. It is governed by a nine-member Library Board of Directors appointed for three-year terms by the Mayor of Madison. Functioning under the aegis of Chapter 43 of the Wisconsin Statutes, the MPL Board works in conjunction with the Mayor, Director Barbara Dimick and library staff, and the Madison Common Council to carry out the Library's mission in the community.

Madison Public Library is part of the South Central Library System, a cooperative network of 52 public libraries in a seven county area. The System offers a shared online catalog, daily delivery of books and media, and reciprocal borrowing privileges among libraries.

Madison Public Library at a Glance

In 2007, Madison Public Library...

• Welcomed over 2.2 million visitors from Madison, Dane County, and beyond. There were another 3 million web page visits to the Library's web site.
• Circulated over 4.6 million library books and media from nine different library locations throughout Madison - more than 20 library items circulated per capita.
• Facilitated over 500,000 in-library internet uses.
• Welcomed over 68,000 children and adults to library programs.