Photo: Farragutful · CC BY-SA 3.0Blue Grass’ library is a branch of Scott County Library System, which lends less per resident than 53% of systems its size
Blue Grass’s library is the Blue Grass Branch, a branch of Scott County Library System, which serves 32,747 people and lent 113K items last year.
The short version on Blue Grass’s library
Open only about 20 hours a week
The Blue Grass branch keeps short hours: about 20 a week, averaged over the year, so check its schedule before you go. The building ↓
Twice the programs of a typical library its size
The Scott County Library System ran 1,126 programs last year, about 22 a week. That’s 34 per 1,000 residents, against a typical 14. People show up: 23,000 attended. Kids & programs ↓
Most programs are for young children
66% of the 1,126 programs last year were for ages 11 and under, including about 7.4 a week for ages 0–5. 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; Blue Grass’s library is a branch of Scott County Library System, so they cover the whole system (32,747 people), not just the Blue Grass branch.
What’s behind Blue Grass’ civic life grade
On community nonprofits and volunteering, Blue Grass is ahead of 86% of U.S. towns. Blue Grass is graded on two of the three inputs. Both inputs are above most U.S. towns; the share of younger adults in volunteering groups ranks highest.
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 Blue Grass
4.1 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 (2 here), since whether a church registers depends on its denomination, not the town.
14.5%
14.5% of Blue Grass’ Facebook users aged 25–44 belong to a volunteering or activism group, against 8.6% in the typical Iowa 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 Blue Grass’ residents live; 2022.
About 14 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 7 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people across the U.S.
Scott County Library System serves 32,747 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000.
Every hour the doors are open, about 11 items go out
Fiscal year 2024, for the whole Scott County Library System system. The library’s own count.
Almost half the print loans are kids’ books
113K print loans last year. The library didn’t report its e-book and e-audiobook loans.
Find it
Blue Grass Branch, 114 N. Mississippi St., Blue Grass.
No late fees. Good at every Scott County Library System branch.
New in Blue Grass? 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 $1.52 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Blue Grass cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $40. Operating budget $1.4M.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $2M worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $1.4M 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 15,294 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. Blue Grass Branch is one branch of Scott County Library System, so the yearly numbers cover every branch and all 32,747 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 Blue Grass
Does Blue Grass have a public library?
Yes: Blue Grass Branch, 114 N. Mississippi St., is a branch of Scott County Library System, which serves 32,747 people. The branch is open about 20 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Scott County Library System fine-free?
Yes, no late fees (the library’s 2024 survey report).
How busy is Blue Grass’ library?
It logged 2.5 visits and lent 3.4 print items per resident in 2024, against a typical 2.6 visits for libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people.
What is Blue Grass’ civic life grade?
A Blue Grass is ahead of 86% 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 Blue Grass.
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.