Photo: Michael Rivera · CC BY-SA 4.0Havana’s library is a branch of Gadsden County Public Library, which lends less per resident than 96% of systems its size
Havana’s library is the Havana Public Library, a branch of Gadsden County Public Library, which serves 41,762 people and lent 21K items last year.
The short version on Havana’s library
The Gadsden County Public Library system is used less than most libraries its size
The Gadsden County Public Library system records 1.1 visits per resident, against a typical 2.6 for libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people. Borrowing is 0.5 print items per resident, against a typical 3.7. It also spends less than most: $12 per resident, against a typical $40. How it compares ↓
Florida pays a big share
59% of the budget comes from the state, and 37% from local taxes. Nationally, most library money is local. What your card is worth ↓
Runs on less money than most
The Gadsden County Public Library system spends $12 per resident, less than 92% of similar-size libraries (typical: $40). What your card is worth ↓
77% of the people it serves carry a library card
32,275 cards for 41,762 people, or 77%. At the typical library serving 25,000 to 100,000 people, it’s 39%. How it compares ↓
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; Havana’s library is a branch of Gadsden County Public Library, so they cover the whole system (41,762 people), not just the Havana branch.
What’s behind Havana’s civic life grade
On community nonprofits and volunteering, Havana is ahead of 14% of U.S. towns. Havana is graded on two of the three inputs. Both inputs sit below most U.S. towns; Havana’s count of community nonprofits comes closest to the middle.
Gadsden County Public Library spends $12 per resident, against a typical $40 for libraries its size.
Most U.S. towns with similar household incomes ($46K–$76K) score higher, so income alone doesn’t account for it.
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 →
6 community nonprofits are registered in Havana
3.2 per 1,000 residents, against a U.S. town median of 3.7. The largest group: human services.
Community nonprofits, by kind
Counted from the IRS list of tax-exempt organizations by mailing address (fractions where a ZIP code spans towns). Congregations are counted apart (3 here), since whether a church registers depends on its denomination, not the town.
4.6%
4.6% of Havana’s Facebook users aged 25–44 belong to a volunteering or activism group, against 5.6% in the typical Florida 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 Havana’s residents live; 2022.
Ahead of most similar-size libraries on 2 of 6 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people across the U.S.
Gadsden County Public Library serves 41,762 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000.
A year at Gadsden County Public Library
Fiscal year 2024, for the whole Gadsden County Public Library system. The library’s own count.
Not reported for 2024: hours open. 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
21K 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 Havana’s library in 2024, so there’s no split between adults’ and kids’ borrowing.
About 5 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
Havana Public Library, 203 East Fifth Avenue, Havana.
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 Havana cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $40. Operating budget $514K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $448K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $514K budget.
Late fines apply to some overdue items.
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 32,275 cardholders ÷ 12.
What this data can and can’t tell you
From the Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024.
- Not reported for 2024: hours open. 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. Havana Public Library is one branch of Gadsden County Public Library, so the yearly numbers cover every branch and all 41,762 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 Havana
Does Havana have a public library?
Yes: Havana Public Library, 203 East Fifth Avenue, is a branch of Gadsden County Public Library, which serves 41,762 people. The branch is open about 58 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Gadsden County Public Library fine-free?
It charges late fines on some overdue items (the library’s 2024 survey report).
How busy is Havana’s library?
It logged 1.1 visits and lent 0.5 print items per resident in 2024, against a typical 2.6 visits for libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people.
What is Havana’s civic life grade?
D Havana is ahead of 14% 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 Havana.
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.