For the fourth consecutive year, Bee Cave Public Library has received a Five Star rating in Library Journal’s national rating of public libraries, the LJ Index of Public Library Service 2013.

Five stars is the highest rating that a library can receive.  Of the 7,573 libraries in the nation that qualified for the 2013 ratings by submitting data, only 263 received Star designations based on their service output. Only 9 libraries in Texas received a star ranking, and Bee Cave is one of just 5 Texas libraries receiving the highest 5-star rating.

The Index of Public Library Service was begun in 2007 as a way to showcase those public libraries whose levels of service delivery distinguish them among their peers.  Libraries are rated based on service outputs in four areas: annual number of library visits, circulation of materials, program attendance, and public Internet computer usage as reported to the Institute of Museum and Library Services.  Each library is compared to the mean for those statistics in the expenditure group to which the library belongs.  The 2013 index is based on 2011 data, placing Bee Cave in the $200,000-$399,000 group, where it ranked 9^th in the nation. 

“We are so honored to be recognized again as a Star Library by Library Journal,” said Library Director Barbara Hathaway.  For the fourth year in a row, Bee Cave Public received 5 stars, placing it among the best in the nation, and is one of only 5 libraries in all of Texas to receive this rating in 2013.  “Because this index compares us to libraries operating with comparable financial resources, it is a tribute to our hard-working staff and many volunteers all of whom take great pride in delivering outstanding library service to our community.”