Garden City’s library is a branch of Cullman County Public Library, which lends less per resident than 90% of systems its size
Garden City’s library is the Cullman Public Libary - Garden City Branch Library, a branch of Cullman County Public Library, which serves 90,665 people and lent 129K items last year.
What Garden City’s library is like
Below typical on every measure
Against libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people, the Cullman County Public Library system sits below the middle on all seven per-resident measures we compare, and in the bottom 30% on five. How it compares ↓
Few programs for a library this size
The Cullman County Public Library system offered 287 programs last year, 3.2 per 1,000 residents against a typical 14. Kids & programs ↓
Programs lean toward adults
60% of the 287 programs last year were for adults: classes, talks, clubs and events. 74 were for children. Kids & programs ↓
People visit, but borrow less than most
The Cullman County Public Library system lends 1 print items per resident, against a typical 3.7 for libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people, fewer than 90% of similar-size libraries, though visits are closer to typical. What people borrow ↓
Runs on less money than most
The Cullman County Public Library system spends $7 per resident, less than 98% of similar-size libraries (typical: $40). What your card is worth ↓
This summary is written from the numbers on this page. Numbers are the library’s own report to the Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024; Garden City’s library is a branch of Cullman County Public Library, so they cover the whole system (90,665 people), not just the Garden City branch.
What’s behind Garden City’s civic life grade
Garden City isn’t graded on civic life: TownRatings grades towns of 1,000 residents or more.
Civic life counts registered nonprofits, library visits and online volunteering groups, so it can miss civic life that runs through congregations, mutual aid or neighbors looking out for each other.
Library visits: IMLS Public Libraries Survey, FY2024. Nonprofits: IRS Exempt Organizations Business Master File, October 2026. Volunteering: Social Capital Atlas (Opportunity Insights), from data by Meta Platforms, Inc.; Chetty et al., Nature 2022. How TownRatings grades civic life →
Below most similar-size libraries on all 8 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people across the U.S.
Cullman County Public Library serves 90,665 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000.
Every hour the doors are open, about 15 items go out
Fiscal year 2024, for the whole Cullman County Public Library system. The library’s own count.
Mostly books and media off the shelf
129K loans last year: print, kids’ and digital.
41,782 e-books, e-audiobooks and streams last year. Borrow from home with your card, plus research databases: courses, journals, genealogy and more.
About 1 kids’ program a week
Story times, clubs, classes and events, across the whole system, by who they’re for.
Programs last year by age group
story times and programs a week for ages 0–5, on average.
Find it
Cullman Public Libary - Garden City Branch Library, 501 First Avenue S, Garden City.
No late fees. E-books and audiobooks from home. Research databases: courses, journals, genealogy. Good at every Cullman County Public Library branch.
New in Garden City? The Handbook →Hours are the survey’s yearly average. Check the library’s own site for today’s hours.
For every $1 it spends, the library lends about $3.40 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Garden City cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $40. Operating budget $612K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $2.1M worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $612K budget.
Fine-free. No late fees on books returned late.
Retail prices are typical, rounded down: a new book $17, a kids’ book $12, an e-book or e-audiobook $15, a movie rental $4, a class or program $10, a computer or Wi-Fi session $3. The average cardholder’s month = the library’s yearly loans, attendance and Wi-Fi sessions ÷ its 32,761 cardholders ÷ 12.
Libraries next door
Who has a library of their own, and how much each town borrows. Tap a town to see its library.
| Town | Library | Loans per resident | Hours | Civic life |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Garden City | Cullman Public Libary - Garden City Branch Library fine-free | — | 25 | — under 1,000 residents |
| Hanceville | Cullman County Public - Hanceville Branch fine-free | — | 40 | D− |
Loans = print + digital items borrowed in the library’s fiscal year, per person it serves. — = no library of its own, a county or regional system (its numbers cover many towns), or no report. Civic life: — = not graded (unincorporated places, whose nonprofits can’t be placed by mailing address, or towns with fewer than two of the three inputs).
What this data can and can’t tell you
From the Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024.
- System-wide. Cullman Public Libary - Garden City Branch Library is one branch of Cullman County Public Library, so the yearly numbers cover every branch and all 90,665 people it serves.
Hours are the survey’s yearly average; libraries are compared with others serving about as many people. How TownRatings uses library figures →
Questions about the library and civic life in Garden City
Does Garden City have a public library?
Yes: Cullman Public Libary - Garden City Branch Library, 501 First Avenue S, is a branch of Cullman County Public Library, which serves 90,665 people. The branch is open about 25 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Cullman County Public Library fine-free? Does it lend e-books?
Yes to both: no late fees, and e-books, audiobooks and research databases with a card (the library’s 2024 survey report).
How busy is Garden City’s library?
It logged 2.5 visits and lent 1.4 items per resident in 2024, against a typical 2.6 visits for libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people.
What is Garden City’s civic life grade?
Garden City isn’t graded on civic life: TownRatings grades towns of 1,000 residents or more. How it works.
Book talk
Reading, story times and the library in Garden City.
Libraries: Institute of Museum and Library Services, Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024. Each library reports its own numbers. Distances are straight-line from the town center. “What your card is worth” uses typical retail prices and is an estimate, not an official figure.