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Coulter, Iowa (1799340180)Photo: John Edwards · CC BY-SA 2.0
Coulter Public Library

Coulter’s library logs 0.1 visits per resident, against a typical 3.5 for libraries its size

Coulter Public Library serves Coulter’s 1,040 residents. Last year it lent 413 print books and media and logged 90 visits.

111 Main St., Coulter 50431 · about 21 hours a week
–Civic lifeNot graded: fewer than 1,000 residents
Borrowed a year
413
0.4 per resident
Visits a year
90
0.1 per resident · Below typical (3.5)
Programs & events
6
about 1 a week · 79 attended
Cardholders
49%
509 cards
Open
21 hrs
a week
In brief

Coulter’s library, in brief

Coulter Public Library is used less than most libraries its size

Coulter Public Library records 0.1 visits per resident, against a typical 3.5 for libraries serving under 2,500 people. Borrowing is 0.4 print items per resident, against a typical 3.9. How it compares ↓

A small-town library

Coulter Public Library serves 1,040 residents with about one full-time staff. It’s compared only with libraries serving under 2,500 people, because per-person numbers always look big in a small town. A year at the library ↓

Few programs for a library this size

Coulter Public Library offered 6 programs last year, 5.8 per 1,000 residents against a typical 60. Kids & programs ↓

Open only about 21 hours a week

Coulter Public Library keeps short hours: about 21 a week, averaged over the year, so check its schedule before you go. The building ↓

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; in a town this small, one busy program or a few avid readers move the per-resident numbers.

Civic life grade

What’s behind Coulter’s civic life grade

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

–
Civic lifeA character grade: shown, never part of Coulter’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

Below most similar-size libraries on all 6 measures

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

Visits per resident 0.1 visits · typical 3.5Bottom 10%
Borrowing per resident 0.4 print items · typical 3.9Bottom 10%
Kids’ borrowing 0.2 kids’ items · typical 1.4Bottom 10%
Program attendance 0.1 attendees · typical 0.7Bottom 10%
Programs offered 5.8 per 1,000 residents · typical 60Bottom 10%
Cardholders 49% of residents · typical 54%Lower than 56%
Fewer per residentMore per resident
Size group

Coulter Public Library serves 1,040 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving under 2,500.

A year at the library

A year at Coulter Public Library

Fiscal year 2024. The library’s own count.

90
visits
0.1 per resident
413
loans, print + digital
0.4 per resident
6
programs & events
79 attended
509
library cards
49% of people served
Every open hour0items borrowed
Every week2people at a program
Every day1Wi-Fi sessions
1 staff (full-time equivalent)3 public computers9,954 books & media on the shelves

Not reported for 2024: spending. The survey fills a missing figure with its own estimate; we leave estimates out rather than show them as the library’s count.

What people borrow

Books and media off the shelf

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

413loans
Books & media (adults) 59%Kids’ books & media 41%
How hard the shelves work
0×

Each of the 9,954 books and other items on the shelves went out about 0 time last year, on average.

Kids & programs

6 programs a year

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

Schools in Coulter →

Programs last year by age group

Ages 0–51
Ages 6–113
Teens0
Adults2
All ages0
Little ones
0

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

169
kids’ books & media borrowed
79
people at programs
6
programs
The building

Find it

Coulter Public Library, 111 Main St., Coulter.

21
hours open a week
1,500
square feet
9,954
books & media
With a card

No late fees.

New in Coulter? The Handbook →

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

What your card is worth

What a library card is worth

Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Coulter 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

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 509 cardholders ÷ 12.

How to read these numbers

What this data can and can’t tell you

From the Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024.

  • Not reported for 2024: spending. 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.

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 Coulter

Does Coulter have a public library?

Yes. Coulter Public Library, 111 Main St., serves Coulter’s 1,040 residents (the survey’s count) and is open about 21 hours a week, averaged over the year.

Is Coulter Public Library fine-free?

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

How busy is Coulter’s library?

It logged 0.1 visits and lent 0.4 print items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3.5 visits for libraries serving under 2,500 people.

What is Coulter’s civic life grade?

Coulter 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 Coulter.

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.