Sikes House · Photo: Ebyabe · CC BY 2.5Fort White’s library is a branch of Columbia County Public Library, which lends less per resident than 57% of systems its size
Fort White’s library is the Fort White Branch Library, a branch of Columbia County Public Library, which serves 68,683 people and lent 216K items last year.
The short version on Fort White’s library
Few residents carry a card
Only 14% of the people the system serves have a library card, against a typical 39% for its size. How it compares ↓
Florida pays a big share
24% of the budget comes from the state, and 76% from local taxes. Nationally, most library money is local. What your card is worth ↓
Programs lean toward adults
51% of the 1,080 programs last year were for adults: classes, talks, clubs and events. 406 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; Fort White’s library is a branch of Columbia County Public Library, so they cover the whole system (68,683 people), not just the Fort White branch.
What’s behind Fort White’s civic life grade
Fort White 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 →
Ahead of most similar-size libraries on 1 of 6 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people across the U.S.
Columbia County Public Library serves 68,683 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000.
Every hour the doors are open, about 31 items go out
Fiscal year 2024, for the whole Columbia County Public Library system. The library’s own count.
Books and media off the shelf
216K print loans last year. The library didn’t report its e-book and e-audiobook loans.
The survey has no count of children’s loans for Fort White’s library in 2024, so there’s no split between adults’ and kids’ borrowing.
About 8 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
Fort White Branch Library, 17700 Southwest State Road 47, Fort White.
No late fees. Good at every Columbia County Public Library branch.
New in Fort White? 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 $2.06 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Fort White cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $40. Operating budget $1.9M.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $3.8M worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $1.9M 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 9,297 cardholders ÷ 12.
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. Fort White Branch Library is one branch of Columbia County Public Library, so the yearly numbers cover every branch and all 68,683 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 Fort White
Does Fort White have a public library?
Yes: Fort White Branch Library, 17700 Southwest State Road 47, is a branch of Columbia County Public Library, which serves 68,683 people. The branch is open about 40 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Columbia County Public Library fine-free?
Yes, no late fees (the library’s 2024 survey report).
How busy is Fort White’s library?
It logged 1.7 visits and lent 3.1 print items per resident in 2024, against a typical 2.6 visits for libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people.
What is Fort White’s civic life grade?
Fort White 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 Fort White.
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.