St. Louis County Library has been designated a star library by the Library Journal, a publication that covers the newest developments in libraries and library science.

St. Louis County Library, or SLCL, is one of five libraries in Missouri to receive the designation this year. This is the first year SLCL has been named a star library.

The Library Journal, or LJ, uses data reported by public libraries to their state library in determining star libraries.

This year’s star libraries were ranked by data reported in 2011. To determine star libraries, LJ considers four per-capita output statistics: library visits, circulation, program attendance and public Internet computer use. Public libraries are compared to others with similar annual expenditures.