United Methodist Church · Photo: Ebyabe · CC BY 2.5Jasper’s library is a branch of Suwannee River Regional Library System, which lends less per resident than 82% of systems its size
Jasper’s library is the Virginia B. Chandler Public Library, a branch of Suwannee River Regional Library System, which serves 73,454 people and lent 102K items last year.
The short version on Jasper’s library
Nearly everyone the system serves has a card
72,985 cards for 73,454 people, or 99%. At the typical library serving 25,000 to 100,000 people, it’s 39%. How it compares ↓
Well funded, but lightly used
The Suwannee River Regional Library System spends $75 per resident, more than 82% of similar-size libraries. Use doesn’t match: visits per resident are lower than at 52% of them. What your card is worth ↓
Florida pays a big share
28% of the budget comes from the state, and 72% from local taxes. Nationally, most library money is local. What your card is worth ↓
Twice the programs of a typical library its size
The Suwannee River Regional Library System ran 2,556 programs last year, about 49 a week. That’s 35 per 1,000 residents, against a typical 14. 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; Jasper’s library is a branch of Suwannee River Regional Library System, so they cover the whole system (73,454 people), not just the Jasper branch.
What’s behind Jasper’s civic life grade
On community nonprofits and volunteering, Jasper is ahead of 8% of U.S. towns, #212 of 273 in Florida. Jasper is graded on two of the three inputs. Both inputs sit below most U.S. towns; Jasper’s count of community nonprofits comes closest to the middle.
Most U.S. towns with similar household incomes ($37K–$62K) 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 →
8 community nonprofits are registered in Jasper
2.5 per 1,000 residents, against a U.S. town median of 3.7. The largest group: civic groups, clubs & veterans.
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 (5 here), since whether a church registers depends on its denomination, not the town.
4.5%
4.5% of Jasper’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 Jasper’s residents live; 2022.
About 19 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.
Ahead of most similar-size libraries on 4 of 6 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people across the U.S.
Suwannee River Regional Library System serves 73,454 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000.
A year at Suwannee River Regional Library System
Fiscal year 2024, for the whole Suwannee River Regional Library System 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
102K 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 Jasper’s library in 2024, so there’s no split between adults’ and kids’ borrowing.
Find it
Virginia B. Chandler Public Library, 311 Hatley Street Northeast, Jasper.
Good at every Suwannee River Regional Library System branch.
New in Jasper? 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 Jasper cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $40. Operating budget $5.5M.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $2.3M worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $5.5M 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 72,985 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. Virginia B. Chandler Public Library is one branch of Suwannee River Regional Library System, so the yearly numbers cover every branch and all 73,454 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 Jasper
Does Jasper have a public library?
Yes: Virginia B. Chandler Public Library, 311 Hatley Street Northeast, is a branch of Suwannee River Regional Library System, which serves 73,454 people.
Is Suwannee River Regional Library System fine-free?
It charges late fines on some overdue items (the library’s 2024 survey report).
How busy is Jasper’s library?
It logged 2.5 visits and lent 1.4 print items per resident in 2024, against a typical 2.6 visits for libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people.
What is Jasper’s civic life grade?
D Jasper is ahead of 8% of U.S. towns on civic life, #212 of 273 in Florida. 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 Jasper.
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.