Photo: Magicpiano · CC BY-SA 4.0Cherokee’s library lends 4.7 print items per resident, against a typical 3.8 for libraries its size
Cherokee Public Library serves Cherokee’s 7,663 residents. Last year it lent 36K print books and media and logged 16K visits.
Cherokee’s library, in brief
The library is a National Register landmark
Cherokee Public Library has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1985. Today’s library there has 14,000 square feet. The building ↓
Most programs are for young children
70% of the 227 programs last year were for ages 11 and under, including about 1.6 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.
What’s behind Cherokee’s civic life grade
On community nonprofits and volunteering, Cherokee is ahead of 92% of U.S. towns, #21 of 138 in Iowa. Cherokee is graded on two of the three inputs. Both inputs are above most U.S. towns; Cherokee’s count of community nonprofits 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 →
34 community nonprofits are registered in Cherokee
6.6 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 (6 here), since whether a church registers depends on its denomination, not the town. 1 more name a national or statewide reach and are left out.
10.0%
10.0% of Cherokee’s 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 Cherokee’s residents live; 2022.
A National Register landmark since 1985
Cherokee Public Library, 215 S 2nd St., Cherokee.
Hours are the survey’s yearly average. Check the library’s own site for today’s hours.
Cherokee Public Library
Cherokee Public Library was added to the National Register of Historic Places on Apr 9, 1985. It is significant for its social history at the local level. It was listed as part of Public Library Buildings in Iowa TR.
The Cherokee Public Library is located in Cherokee, Iowa, United States. A library was begun in town in 1886 by the Cherokee Ladies Library Association. The collection of books was housed in the YMCA and other shared facilities. It was poorly funded, and the city of Cherokee took over the library in 1898 after voters passed a referendum.
More about the building →Ahead of most similar-size libraries on 2 of 7 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people across the U.S.
Cherokee Public Library serves 7,663 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000.
Every hour the doors are open, about 15 items go out
Fiscal year 2024. The library’s own count.
Books and media off the shelf
36K print loans last year. The library didn’t report its e-book and e-audiobook loans.
Each of the 23K books and other items on the shelves went out about 1.6 times last year, on average.
About 3 kids’ programs a week
Story times, clubs, classes and events, by who they’re for.
Programs last year by age group
story times and programs a week for ages 0–5, on average.
children’s books and media borrowed per child under 18 in Cherokee last year.
For every $1 it spends, the library lends about $2.65 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Cherokee cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $43. Operating budget $238K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $629K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $238K 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 4,046 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.
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 Cherokee
Does Cherokee have a public library?
Yes. Cherokee Public Library, 215 S 2nd St., serves Cherokee’s 7,663 residents (the survey’s count) and is open about 46 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Cherokee Public Library fine-free?
It charges late fines on some overdue items (the library’s 2024 survey report).
How busy is Cherokee’s library?
It logged 2.0 visits and lent 4.7 print items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3 visits for libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people.
What is Cherokee’s civic life grade?
A Cherokee is ahead of 92% of U.S. towns on civic life, #21 of 138 in Iowa. 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 Cherokee.
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. Building history: National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places; photo via Wikimedia Commons. “What your card is worth” uses typical retail prices and is an estimate, not an official figure.