Fort Bowie National Historic Site · Photo: SonoranDesertNPS from Tucson, Arizona · CC BY 2.0Bowie’s library is a branch of Cochise County Library District, which lends less per resident than 98% of systems its size
Bowie’s library is the Jimmie Libhart Branch Library, a branch of Cochise County Library District, which serves 128,253 people and lent 43K items last year.
Bowie’s library, in brief
The Cochise County Library District system is used less than most libraries its size
The Cochise County Library District system records 0.1 visits per resident, against a typical 2.1 for libraries serving 100,000+ people. Borrowing is 0.3 print items per resident, against a typical 3.2. It also spends less than most: $10 per resident, against a typical $36. How it compares ↓
Few programs for a library this size
The Cochise County Library District system offered 239 programs last year, 1.9 per 1,000 residents against a typical 9. Kids & programs ↓
Open only about 15 hours a week
The Bowie branch keeps short hours: about 15 a week, averaged over the year, so check its schedule before you go. The building ↓
Runs on less money than most
The Cochise County Library District system spends $10 per resident, less than 97% of similar-size libraries (typical: $36). 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; Bowie’s library is a branch of Cochise County Library District, so they cover the whole system (128,253 people), not just the Bowie branch.
What’s behind Bowie’s civic life grade
Bowie 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 7 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 100,000+ people across the U.S.
Cochise County Library District serves 128,253 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 100,000+.
Every hour the doors are open, about 6 items go out
Fiscal year 2024, for the whole Cochise County Library District system. The library’s own count.
Not reported for 2024: funding. The survey fills a missing figure with its own estimate; we leave estimates out rather than show them as the library’s count.
Books and media off the shelf
43K print loans last year. The library didn’t report its e-book and e-audiobook loans.
Borrow from home with your card, plus research databases: courses, journals, genealogy and more.
About 2 kids’ programs 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
Jimmie Libhart Branch Library, 201 N Central Ave, Bowie.
No late fees. E-books and audiobooks from home. Loans renew on their own if no one’s waiting. Research databases: courses, journals, genealogy. Good at every Cochise County Library District branch.
New in Bowie? The Handbook →Hours are the survey’s yearly average. Check the library’s own site for today’s hours.
What a library card is worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Bowie cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $36. Operating budget $1.3M.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $792K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $1.3M 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 2,260 cardholders ÷ 12.
What this data can and can’t tell you
From the Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024.
- Not reported for 2024: funding. The survey filled the figure with its own estimate, so it is left out.
- Digital loans not reported. The library didn’t report e-book loans, so borrowing here is print only.
- System-wide. Jimmie Libhart Branch Library is one branch of Cochise County Library District, so the yearly numbers cover every branch and all 128,253 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 Bowie
Does Bowie have a public library?
Yes: Jimmie Libhart Branch Library, 201 N Central Ave, is a branch of Cochise County Library District, which serves 128,253 people. The branch is open about 15 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Cochise County Library District 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 Bowie’s library?
It logged 0.1 visits and lent 0.3 print items per resident in 2024, against a typical 2.1 visits for libraries serving 100,000+ people.
What is Bowie’s civic life grade?
Bowie 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 Bowie.
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.