Mid-Continent Public Library

What Mid-Continent Public Library does

Mid-Continent Public Library (MCPL) is a tax-funded public library district established in 1968 by consolidating the library systems of Clay, Jackson, and Platte Counties in the Kansas City, Missouri metropolitan area. It operates as a government entity serving approximately 800,000 residents through more than 30 staffed branch locations and additional unstaffed Library-To-Go sites, making it the largest library system in the Kansas City region. All services are free at point of use; funding is derived primarily from a dedicated local property tax, including a capital improvement mandate approved by voters as Proposition L in 2016.

The library's core technology stack is built on third-party SaaS rather than proprietary systems. The BiblioCommons web catalog provides unified searching, reservation, and account management across the physical and digital collections. OverDrive's Libby app delivers the digital lending platform, supporting eBooks, eAudiobooks, eMagazines, and eComics with up to 50 simultaneous checkouts and holds and a default 21-day loan period. A region-specific account-linking feature integrates MCPL accounts with Johnson County Library, Olathe Public Library, and Kansas City Public Library, enabling patrons to manage multiple library cards under a single login. Additional integrations include NoveList Plus (EBSCO) for reading recommendations, WorldCat for interlibrary loan, and streaming platforms (Access Video On Demand, medici.tv, BookFlix, ScienceFlix, TrueFlix) for digital media.

Beyond traditional circulation, MCPL operates several specialized centers that differentiate its service mix: the Midwest Genealogy Center (recognized as Federation of Genealogical Societies Repository of the Year in 2020), the Square One Small Business Center (partnered with the Kauffman Foundation for 1 Million Cups programming), the Story Center and its Woodneath Press publishing imprint, and Culinary Kitchens. The library also provides equipment lending (Chromebooks), passport acceptance, free notary services, reservable meeting rooms, museum passes, and ADA-compliant accessibility infrastructure including ASL accommodations. Revenue is non-commercial and derived from tax appropriations; no pricing model, customer contracts, or commercial revenue streams exist.

Name

Mid-Continent Public Library

Legal name

Mid-Continent Public Library

Website

https://mymcpl.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1968

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Mid-Continent Public Library is a tax-funded public library district serving approximately 800,000 residents across Clay, Jackson, and Platte Counties in the Kansas City metro through 30+ branches, a BiblioCommons catalog, OverDrive/Libby digital lending, and specialized centers for genealogy, small business, publishing, and culinary programming.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Library Services

NAICS

Libraries and Archives (51921), Web Search Portals, Libraries, Archives, and Other Information Services (5192)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Libraries & Information Services (BPAIACAO)

akta.pro secondary industries

Public Library Operations & Community Branch Management (EDAEAGAC), Libraries, Archives & Special Collections (BPAGAHAF), Library-Based Learning Programs (Public Libraries) (EDAAAFAA), Library Collections & Cataloging Services (Acquisitions, Metadata, Circulation) (EDAEAGAE)

Keywords

• Public library services
• Digital lending
• Community programming
• Genealogy research
• Research databases

Headquarters

HQ city

Independence

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Public Tax Funding: MCPL is a public library system funded primarily through local tax revenue. The library district covers Clay, Jackson, and Platte Counties following public support and passage of Proposition L in 2016 for capital improvements.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Mid-Continent Public Library is the largest public library system in the Kansas City metropolitan area, serving approximately 800,000 residents across Clay, Jackson, and Platte Counties through more than 30 branch locations. The library provides free access to physical and digital library materials including books, eBooks, audiobooks, DVDs, and music, alongside research databases, community programs, and specialized centers such as the Midwest Genealogy Center, Square One Small Business Center, Story Center with Woodneath Press publishing imprint, and Culinary Kitchens.

Product overview

Mid-Continent Public Library is a public library system serving Clay, Jackson, and Platte Counties in the Kansas City, Missouri metropolitan area with 30+ locations. The library operates primarily as a consumer service rather than a software product, providing physical and digital library materials, research databases, and community programs. Core offerings include the BiblioCommons-powered online catalog for material discovery and management, OverDrive/Libby digital lending platform for eBooks, eAudiobooks, eMagazines, and eComics, and specialized services such as the Midwest Genealogy Center, Square One Small Business Center, Story Center with Woodneath Press publishing imprint, and Culinary Kitchens. The library also provides equipment lending (Chromebooks), passport services, notary services, reservable rooms, museum passes, and accessibility accommodations. Digital research resources include NoveList Plus for reading recommendations, WorldCat for interlibrary loans, Access Video On Demand, TeenBookCloud, and various streaming video services (medici.tv, BookFlix, ScienceFlix, TrueFlix).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Culinary Kitchens: A specialized library service featuring commercial kitchen facilities for community use
• Midwest Genealogy Center
• Square One Small Business Center
• Story Center
• MCPL Online
• Woodneath Press

Products and services

• MCPL Online Catalog (BiblioCommons) Web-based catalog system enabling patrons to search, browse, reserve, and manage library materials including books, movies, music, and digital content across the MCPL collection.
• OverDrive Digital Downloads (Libby) Digital lending platform for borrowing eBooks, eAudiobooks, eMagazines, and eComics accessible via web browser or Libby app on Android and iOS devices, with up to 50 items checked out and 50 items on hold with a default 21-day loan period.
• InterLibrary Loan (WorldCat) Service enabling patrons to borrow items from other libraries through the WorldCat discovery platform as a faster alternative to suggesting titles for purchase.
• NoveList Plus Fiction and nonfiction reading recommendation database by EBSCO helping users discover books by author, title, genre, or plot description, with award-winning book lists and reviews.
• TeenBookCloud Digital reading platform offering eBooks, graphic novels, and resources for middle and high school students.
• eMovies Streaming Streaming video service providing access to educational and entertainment content through Access Video On Demand, medici.tv, BookFlix, ScienceFlix, and TrueFlix.
• Chromebooks To Go Laptop lending program allowing patrons to borrow Chromebooks for use inside and outside the library.
• Woodneath Press In-house publishing imprint producing anthologies and books including Curating Home, The First Beverly Hillbilly, Community Voices, and other local literature.
• Passport Services U.S. passport application and acceptance services available at select branches.
• MCPL Museum Pass Program providing complimentary admission to the Truman Library and Museum and Wonderscope Children's Museum.
• Reservable Rooms Meeting and event spaces available for public use at multiple MCPL locations.
• Notary Services Free notary services available at select library branches.
• Wellness Room Private space available for nursing, meditation, or other wellness activities at select MCPL branches.
• ReadLOCAL Initiative highlighting works by local authors within the MCPL service area, with submissions auto-accepted for MCPL cardholders meeting eligibility criteria.
• Book Group Service Collection of over 1,000 book kits (10 copies each) maintained through the MyTurn reservation system for community book groups.

Quantifiable outcome

• 7 new branches built from the ground up since 2017
• +2 more outcomes

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration9 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Johnson County LibrarycoreTechnology or IntegrationPartnership allowing MCPL patrons to link their Johnson County Library card to their MCPL catalog username, enabling management of multiple library cards under a single login
• Olathe Public LibrarycoreTechnology or IntegrationPartnership allowing MCPL patrons to link their Olathe Public Library card to their MCPL catalog username, enabling management of multiple library cards under a single login
• Kansas City Public LibrarycoreTechnology or IntegrationPartnership allowing MCPL patrons to link their Kansas City Public Library card to their MCPL catalog username, enabling management of multiple library cards under a single login
• Truman Heartland Community FoundationmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to create CareConnection, an online directory of resources linking older adults and caregivers to high-quality information as a free community service. MCPL was honored with Kansas City Business Journal ImpacT Award for this partnership.
• Lee's Summit Parks and Recreation DepartmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing partnership providing community programming and services. MCPL branches partner with the department for joint community events and programming. Recognized by Missouri Parks and Recreation Association.
• Independence School DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Ford Next Generation Learning Career Academies initiative, awarded Ford Next Generation Learning Award
• Kauffman FoundationmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSquare One Small Business Services division brought Kauffman Foundation's nationally popular 1 Million Cups program to local entrepreneurs via live streaming
• Independence Economic Development CouncilminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRecognized MCPL's South Independence Branch with iNpact award for significant positive economic impacts in the community
• Clay County Economic Development CouncilminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRecognized MCPL with Keystone Awards for renovation work on Antioch, Claycomo, Kearney, and Excelsior Springs Branches as part of Capital Improvement Plan

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Hennepin County Library: Large suburban county library system serving the Minneapolis metro area with a similar tax-funded multi-branch model, comparable scale, and similarly broad programming focus including specialized centers.
• Kansas City Public Library: Direct local peer operating the other major public library system serving the Kansas City metropolitan area. MCPL has a formal card-linking partnership with KCPL for cross-system access, indicating closely overlapping service area, customer base, and operating model.
• Johnson County Library: Direct regional peer serving Johnson County, Kansas, immediately adjacent to MCPL's service area. Operates as a county-wide library system with similar tax-funded public library model and has a card-linking partnership with MCPL for patron interoperability.
• King County Library System: One of the busiest public library systems in the United States, serving suburban and urban communities in King County, Washington. Operates with a comparable multi-branch, tax-funded public library model at significant scale.
• Multnomah County Library: Tax-funded public library system serving Portland, Oregon and surrounding Multnomah County. Comparable in scale and operating model to MCPL, with multi-branch operations, digital lending, and community programming focus.
• Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County: Tax-supported regional public library system serving Hamilton County, Ohio with multi-branch operations, genealogy/special collections, and broad community programming. Comparable in scale, governance, and service mix to MCPL.

Broad incumbents

• Chicago Public Library: One of the largest public library systems in the United States, serving Chicago through a city-wide tax-funded model with many branches. Comparable governance and operating approach at substantially larger scale.
• New York Public Library: Among the largest public library systems in the world, serving New York City with a comparable tax/special-district funding model, multi-branch footprint, research collections, and extensive programming. Operates at much larger scale than MCPL but with the same public library mission.

Emerging players

• Anythink Libraries (Adams County): Re-branded Colorado-based library district recognized for innovation in customer experience, programming, and community engagement. Comparable tax-funded multi-branch model but emphasizes disruptive service design and consumer-focused branding more heavily than MCPL.

Others

• OverDrive: Primary vendor partner supplying MCPL's Libby digital lending platform for eBooks, eAudiobooks, eMagazines, and eComics. Not a peer competitor but the core infrastructure provider enabling MCPL's digital collection distribution; understanding its trajectory is critical to MCPL's digital strategy.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC7JvM9NdRoCQviu1txsXDOA
• Facebookfacebook.com/mymcpl
• Xx.com/mcplmo

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Mid-Continent Public Library