Photo: Ebyabe · CC BY-SA 3.0St. Simons’ library is a branch of Marshes of Glynn Libraries, which lends less per resident than 76% of systems its size
St. Simons’s library is the St. Simons Island Public Library, a branch of Marshes of Glynn Libraries, which serves 87,151 people and lent 231K items last year.
St. Simons’s library, in brief
Below typical on every measure
Against libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people, the Marshes of Glynn Libraries system sits below the middle on all seven per-resident measures we compare, and in the bottom 30% on five. How it compares ↓
Georgia pays a big share
24% of the budget comes from the state, and 63% from local taxes. Nationally, most library money is local. What your card is worth ↓
Programs lean toward adults
68% of the 747 programs last year were for adults: classes, talks, clubs and events. 219 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; St. Simons’s library is a branch of Marshes of Glynn Libraries, so they cover the whole system (87,151 people), not just the St. Simons branch.
What’s behind St. Simons’ civic life grade
St. Simons isn’t graded on civic life: it’s unincorporated, so its nonprofits can’t be counted reliably (mailing addresses don’t follow its boundary) and its library is a branch of Marshes of Glynn Libraries, so there is no town figure for visits.
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 →
Volunteering in St. Simons
St. Simons is unincorporated, so its nonprofits aren’t counted: they file by mailing address, which doesn’t follow its boundary.
7.9%
7.9% of St. Simons’ Facebook users aged 25–44 belong to a volunteering or activism group, against 4.9% in the typical Georgia 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 St. Simons’ residents live; 2022.
Below most similar-size libraries on all 8 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people across the U.S.
Marshes of Glynn Libraries serves 87,151 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000.
Every hour the doors are open, about 50 items go out
Fiscal year 2024, for the whole Marshes of Glynn Libraries system. The library’s own count.
Mostly books and media off the shelf
231K loans last year: print, kids’ and digital.
75,967 e-books, e-audiobooks and streams last year. Borrow from home with your card, plus research databases: courses, journals, genealogy and more.
About 4 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
St. Simons Island Public Library, 530a Beachview Drive, St. Simons Island.
E-books and audiobooks from home. Research databases: courses, journals, genealogy. Good at every Marshes of Glynn Libraries branch.
New in St. Simons? 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 $2.45 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average St. Simons cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $40. Operating budget $1.5M.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $3.8M worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $1.5M 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 24,784 cardholders ÷ 12.
What this data can and can’t tell you
From the Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024.
- System-wide. St. Simons Island Public Library is one branch of Marshes of Glynn Libraries, so the yearly numbers cover every branch and all 87,151 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 St. Simons
Does St. Simons have a public library?
Yes: St. Simons Island Public Library, 530a Beachview Drive, is a branch of Marshes of Glynn Libraries, which serves 87,151 people. The branch is open about 41 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Marshes of Glynn Libraries fine-free? Does it lend e-books?
It charges late fines on some overdue items, and it lends e-books and audiobooks with a card (the library’s 2024 survey report).
How busy is St. Simons’ library?
It logged 2.0 visits and lent 2.6 items per resident in 2024, against a typical 2.6 visits for libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people.
What is St. Simons’ civic life grade?
St. Simons isn’t graded on civic life: it’s unincorporated, so its nonprofits can’t be counted reliably (mailing addresses don’t follow its boundary) and its library is a branch of Marshes of Glynn Libraries, so there is no town figure for visits. How it works.
Book talk
Reading, story times and the library in St. Simons.
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.