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Smackover Historic Commercial DistrictSmackover Historic Commercial District · Photo: Valis55 · CC BY-SA 4.0
Smackover Public Library · part of Barton Library

Smackover’s library is a branch of Barton Library, which lends less per resident than 86% of systems its size

Smackover’s library is the Smackover Public Library, a branch of Barton Library, which serves 37,397 people and lent 44K items last year.

700 North Broadway, Smackover 71762 · about 22 hours a week
B−Civic lifeAhead of 53% of U.S. towns. Nonprofits and volunteering.
Directions (870) 725-3741 What’s a card worth?
Borrowed a year
44K
1.2 per resident
Visits a year
46K
1.2 per resident · Below typical (2.6)
Programs & events
417
about 8 a week · 9,718 attended
Cardholders
44%
16,276 cards
Open
22 hrs
a week at this branch
In brief

The short version on Smackover’s library

The Barton Library system is used less than most libraries its size

The Barton Library system records 1.2 visits per resident, against a typical 2.6 for libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people. Borrowing is 1.2 print items per resident, against a typical 3.7. It also spends less than most: $16 per resident, against a typical $40. How it compares ↓

Open only about 22 hours a week

The Smackover branch keeps short hours: about 22 a week, averaged over the year, so check its schedule before you go. The building ↓

Programs lean toward adults

52% of the 417 programs last year were for adults: classes, talks, clubs and events. 147 were for children. Kids & programs ↓

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; Smackover’s library is a branch of Barton Library, so they cover the whole system (37,397 people), not just the Smackover branch.

Civic life grade

What’s behind Smackover’s civic life grade

On community nonprofits and volunteering, Smackover is ahead of 53% of U.S. towns. Smackover is graded on two of the three inputs. The share of younger adults in volunteering groups holds the grade up; Smackover’s count of community nonprofits pulls it down.

B−
Civic lifeA character grade: shown, never part of Smackover’s overall grade.
–Library visitsServed by a county or regional system, so there is no town figureDCommunity nonprofits1.2 per 1,000 residents · AR towns 3.4 · U.S. 3.7A+Volunteering15.9% of adults 25–44 · AR towns 7.2% · U.S. 7.5%
All U.S. towns we grade (17,556)Ahead of 53%
FewerMore
U.S. towns with similar incomes, $42K–$70K (6,632)Ahead of 49%

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.

How sure. Graded on two inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. Smackover is small (1,584 residents), so a few dozen organizations or visits move its per-resident figures; the volunteering share is a 2022 estimate from Facebook users aged 25–44.

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 →

Places to belong

3 community nonprofits are registered in Smackover

1.2 per 1,000 residents, against a U.S. town median of 3.7. The largest group: civic groups, clubs & veterans.

Community nonprofits, by kind

Arts & culture00.00 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.24
Youth, sports & recreation00.00 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.52
Civic groups, clubs & veterans10.41 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.74
Human services00.00 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.59
Education00.00 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.43
Health10.41 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.16
Environment & animals00.00 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.17
Other10.41 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.47

Counted from the IRS list of tax-exempt organizations by mailing address (fractions where a ZIP code spans towns). Congregations are counted apart (2 here), since whether a church registers depends on its denomination, not the town.

Volunteering

15.9%

15.9% of Smackover’s Facebook users aged 25–44 belong to a volunteering or activism group, against 7.2% in the typical Arkansas town and 7.5% nationally.

Volunteering: Social Capital Atlas (Opportunity Insights), from data by Meta Platforms, Inc.; Chetty et al., Nature 2022. ZIP-code figures, weighted by where Smackover’s residents live; 2022.

How it compares

Ahead of most similar-size libraries on 1 of 7 measures

Per resident, against libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people across the U.S.

Visits per resident 1.2 visits · typical 2.6Lower than 84%
Borrowing per resident 1.2 print items · typical 3.7Lower than 86%
Kids’ borrowing 0.5 kids’ items · typical 1.7Lower than 83%
Program attendance 0.3 attendees · typical 0.3Lower than 61%
Programs offered 11.2 per 1,000 residents · typical 14Lower than 63%
Cardholders 44% of residents · typical 39%Higher than 59%
Spending $16 per resident · typical $40Lower than 87%
Fewer per residentMore per resident
Size group

Barton Library serves 37,397 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000.

A year at the library

Every hour the doors are open, about 7 items go out

Fiscal year 2024, for the whole Barton Library system. The library’s own count.

46K
visits
1.2 per resident
44K
loans, print + digital
1.2 per resident
417
programs & events
9,718 attended
16K
library cards
44% of people served
Every open hour7items borrowed
Every week187people at a program
Every day413Wi-Fi sessions
4 staff (full-time equivalent)29 public computers
What people borrow

Almost half the print loans are kids’ books

44K print loans last year. The library didn’t report its e-book and e-audiobook loans.

44Kloans
Books & media (adults) 54%Kids’ books & media 46%
From your couch

Borrow from home with your card, plus research databases: courses, journals, genealogy and more.

Kids & programs

About 3 kids’ programs a week

Story times, clubs, classes and events, across the whole system, by who they’re for.

Schools in Smackover →

Programs last year by age group

Ages 0–5147
Ages 6–110
Teens1
Adults215
All ages54
Little ones
2.8

story times and programs a week for ages 0–5, on average.

20K
kids’ books & media borrowed
9,718
people at programs
417
programs
The building

Find it

Smackover Public Library, 700 North Broadway, Smackover.

Directions(870) 725-3741
22
hours open a week
4,800
square feet
With a card

No late fees. E-books and audiobooks from home. Research databases: courses, journals, genealogy. Good at every Barton Library branch.

New in Smackover? The Handbook →

Hours are the survey’s yearly average. Check the library’s own site for today’s hours.

What your card is worth

For every $1 it spends, the library lends about $1.99 worth

Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Smackover cardholder borrows.

In a month I’d use…
Books$17 each
1
Kids’ books$12 each
0
E-books & audio$15 each
0
Movies & music$4 each
0
Programs & classes$10 a program
0
Computer & Wi-Fi$3 a session
1
Your card saves you about
$240
a year at retail prices · $20 a month

Who pays for it
$16 per resident a year

Typical for a library this size: $40. Operating budget $600K.

Local taxes 85%State 10%Gifts & other 5%

Last year the library lent and hosted about $1.2M worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $600K 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 16,276 cardholders ÷ 12.

How to read these numbers

What this data can and can’t tell you

From the Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024.

  • Digital loans not reported. The library didn’t report e-book loans, so borrowing here is print only.
  • System-wide. Smackover Public Library is one branch of Barton Library, so the yearly numbers cover every branch and all 37,397 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 Smackover

Does Smackover have a public library?

Yes: Smackover Public Library, 700 North Broadway, is a branch of Barton Library, which serves 37,397 people. The branch is open about 22 hours a week, averaged over the year.

Is Barton 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 Smackover’s library?

It logged 1.2 visits and lent 1.2 print items per resident in 2024, against a typical 2.6 visits for libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people.

What is Smackover’s civic life grade?

B− Smackover is ahead of 53% of U.S. towns on civic life. The grade combines library visits per resident, community nonprofits per 1,000 residents and the share of adults 25–44 in volunteering groups. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.

Book talk

Reading, story times and the library in Smackover.

Town Square →
Start a conversation

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.