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Gowrie Public Library

Gowrie’s library lends 2.3 print items per resident, against a typical 3.9 for libraries its size

Gowrie Public Library serves Gowrie’s 1,312 residents. Last year it lent 2,967 print books and media and logged 5,376 visits.

1204 Market St., Gowrie 50543 · about 24 hours a week
–Civic lifeNot graded: fewer than 1,000 residents
Borrowed a year
2,967
2.3 per resident
Visits a year
5,376
4.1 per resident · Above typical (3.5)
Programs & events
53
about 1 a week · 1,092 attended
Cardholders
63%
822 cards
Open
24 hrs
a week

What stands out about Gowrie’s library

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

Civic life grade

What’s behind Gowrie’s civic life grade

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

–
Civic lifeA character grade: shown, never part of Gowrie’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 3 of 6 measures

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

Visits per resident 4.1 visits · typical 3.5Higher than 58%
Borrowing per resident 2.3 print items · typical 3.9Lower than 72%
Kids’ borrowing 0.8 kids’ items · typical 1.4Lower than 66%
Program attendance 0.8 attendees · typical 0.7Higher than 56%
Programs offered 40.4 per 1,000 residents · typical 60Lower than 62%
Cardholders 63% of residents · typical 54%Higher than 57%
Fewer per residentMore per resident
Size group

Gowrie Public Library serves 1,312 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 2 items go out

Fiscal year 2024. The library’s own count.

5,376
visits
4.1 per resident
2,967
loans, print + digital
2.3 per resident
53
programs & events
1,092 attended
822
library cards
63% of people served
Every open hour2items borrowed
Every week21people at a program
Every day3Wi-Fi sessions
1 staff (full-time equivalent)3 public computers7,439 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

2,967 print loans last year. The library didn’t report its e-book and e-audiobook loans.

2,967loans
Books & media (adults) 65%Kids’ books & media 35%
How hard the shelves work
0.4×

Each of the 7,439 books and other items on the shelves went out about 0.4 time last year, on average.

Kids & programs

53 programs a year

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

Schools in Gowrie →

Programs last year by age group

Ages 0–54
Ages 6–1120
Teens10
Adults16
All ages3
Little ones
0.1

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

Kids’ books
6

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

1,092
people at programs
53
programs
The building

Find it

Gowrie Public Library, 1204 Market St., Gowrie.

24
hours open a week
2,100
square feet
7,439
books & media
With a card

No late fees.

New in Gowrie? 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 Gowrie 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 822 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 Gowrie

Does Gowrie have a public library?

Yes. Gowrie Public Library, 1204 Market St., serves Gowrie’s 1,312 residents (the survey’s count) and is open about 24 hours a week, averaged over the year.

Is Gowrie Public Library fine-free?

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

How busy is Gowrie’s library?

It logged 4.1 visits and lent 2.3 print items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3.5 visits for libraries serving under 2,500 people.

What is Gowrie’s civic life grade?

Gowrie 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 Gowrie.

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.