Kansas City, MO – For the second time in three years, the Kansas City Public Library has been named a 5-Star Library by Library Journal.

The Journal’s ratings measure contributions that public libraries make in their communities. Nationally, fewer than 1 out of 54 – 135 out of 7,349 – received the top honor. The Kansas City Public Library is the only library in Missouri to receive the 5-star designation.

“The Kansas City Public Library is proud to once again receive the honor of being named a 5-star library,” says Library Director Crosby Kemper III. “This is a testament to our wonderful staff of librarians, who work hard every day to fulfill our mission to be a doorway to knowledge for all people in our community.”       
                   
The New York-based Library Journal bases its selections on per-capita library use in five areas: circulation, library visits, program attendance, internet computer usage, and for the first time e-circulation.

The Journal classifies libraries according to their yearly expenditures, and awards three, four, or five stars to the top libraries in each category. The Kansas City Public Library is among 31 libraries with budgets between $10 million and $29.9 million, the second-highest spending group. In that category, it was one of 10 earning five stars.

The Library earned five stars in 2013 and 2009, and four stars in 2015. 

Read more here.