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Allison IowaPhoto: Billwhittaker · Public domain
Allison Public Library

Allison’s library lends 7.7 print items per resident, against a typical 3.9 for libraries its size

Allison Public Library serves Allison’s 1,764 residents. Last year it lent 14K print books and media and logged 9,329 visits.

412 3rd St., Allison 50602 · about 30 hours a week
–Civic lifeNot graded: fewer than 1,000 residents
Borrowed a year
14K
7.7 per resident
Visits a year
9,329
5.3 per resident · Above typical (3.5)
Programs & events
39
about 1 a week · 2,582 attended
Cardholders
83%
1,472 cards
Open
30 hrs
a week

What stands out about Allison’s library

Read from the library’s own yearly report. The page puts what stands out first.

Civic life grade

What’s behind Allison’s civic life grade

Allison isn’t graded on civic life: TownRatings grades towns of 1,000 residents or more.

–
Civic lifeA character grade: shown, never part of Allison’s overall grade.

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 →

How it compares

Ahead of most similar-size libraries on 5 of 7 measures

Per resident, against libraries serving under 2,500 people across the U.S.

Visits per resident 5.3 visits · typical 3.5Higher than 69%
Borrowing per resident 7.7 print items · typical 3.9Higher than 78%
Kids’ borrowing 1.9 kids’ items · typical 1.4Higher than 62%
Program attendance 1.5 attendees · typical 0.7Higher than 76%
Programs offered 22.1 per 1,000 residents · typical 60Lower than 76%
Cardholders 83% of residents · typical 54%Higher than 71%
Spending $50 per resident · typical $54Lower than 54%
Fewer per residentMore per resident
Size group

Allison Public Library serves 1,764 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving under 2,500.

A year at the library

Every hour the doors are open, about 9 items go out

Fiscal year 2024. The library’s own count.

9,329
visits
5.3 per resident
14K
loans, print + digital
7.7 per resident
39
programs & events
2,582 attended
1,472
library cards
83% of people served
Every open hour9items borrowed
Every week50people at a program
Every day5Wi-Fi sessions
1 staff (full-time equivalent)6 public computers17K books & media on the shelves
What people borrow

Books and media off the shelf

14K print loans last year. The library didn’t report its e-book and e-audiobook loans.

14Kloans
Books & media (adults) 75%Kids’ books & media 25%
How hard the shelves work
0.8×

Each of the 17K books and other items on the shelves went out about 0.8 time last year, on average.

Kids & programs

39 programs a year

Story times, clubs, classes and events, by who they’re for.

Schools in Allison →

Programs last year by age group

Ages 0–55
Ages 6–1114
Teens1
Adults11
All ages8
Little ones
0.1

story times and programs a week for ages 0–5, on average.

Kids’ books
18

children’s books and media borrowed per child under 18 in Allison last year.

2,582
people at programs
39
programs
The building

Find it

Allison Public Library, 412 3rd St., Allison.

30
hours open a week
7,100
square feet
17K
books & media
With a card

No late fees.

New in Allison? The Handbook →

Hours are the survey’s yearly average. Check the library’s own site for today’s hours.

What your card is worth

For every $1 it spends, the library lends about $2.78 worth

Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Allison cardholder borrows.

In a month I’d use…
Books$17 each
1
Kids’ books$12 each
0
E-books & audio$15 each
0
Movies & music$4 each
0
Programs & classes$10 a program
0
Computer & Wi-Fi$3 a session
0
Your card saves you about
$204
a year at retail prices · $17 a month

Who pays for it
$50 per resident a year

Typical for a library this size: $54. Operating budget $88K.

Local taxes 98%State 2%Gifts & other 0%

Last year the library lent and hosted about $246K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $88K 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 1,472 cardholders ÷ 12.

How to read these numbers

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.

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 Allison

Does Allison have a public library?

Yes. Allison Public Library, 412 3rd St., serves Allison’s 1,764 residents (the survey’s count) and is open about 30 hours a week, averaged over the year.

Is Allison Public Library fine-free?

Yes, no late fees (the library’s 2024 survey report).

How busy is Allison’s library?

It logged 5.3 visits and lent 7.7 print items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3.5 visits for libraries serving under 2,500 people.

What is Allison’s civic life grade?

Allison 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 Allison.

Town Square →
Start a conversation

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.