Graettinger’s library logs 6.2 visits per resident, against a typical 3.5 for libraries its size
Graettinger Public Library serves Graettinger’s 908 residents. Last year it lent 1,806 print books and media and logged 5,660 visits.
Graettinger’s library, in brief
More of a place to be than a place to borrow
Visits per resident beat 76% of similar-size libraries, while borrowing beats only 24%. Program attendance beats 86% of similar libraries. A year at the library ↓
Programs are almost all for children
87% of the 92 programs last year were for ages 11 and under, including about 1.1 a week for ages 0–5. Kids & programs ↓
A small-town library
Graettinger Public Library serves 908 residents with about one full-time staff, open about 37 hours a week. 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 ↓
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.
What’s behind Graettinger’s civic life grade
Graettinger isn’t graded on civic life: TownRatings grades towns of 1,000 residents or more.
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 →
About 2 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 Graettinger last year.
Ahead of most similar-size libraries on 5 of 7 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving under 2,500 people across the U.S.
Graettinger Public Library serves 908 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving under 2,500.
A year at Graettinger Public Library
Fiscal year 2024. The library’s own count.
Books and media off the shelf
1,806 print loans last year. The library didn’t report its e-book and e-audiobook loans.
Each of the 13K books and other items on the shelves went out about 0.1 time last year, on average.
Find it
Graettinger Public Library, 115 W Robins St., Graettinger.
Hours are the survey’s yearly average. Check the library’s own site for today’s hours.
What a library card is worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Graettinger cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $54. Operating budget $63K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $48K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $63K 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 643 cardholders ÷ 12.
What this data can and can’t tell you
From the Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024.
- Visits are a typical-week estimate. Graettinger Public Library counted one typical week and multiplied by 52, as the survey allows.
- 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 Graettinger
Does Graettinger have a public library?
Yes. Graettinger Public Library, 115 W Robins St., serves Graettinger’s 908 residents (the survey’s count) and is open about 37 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Graettinger Public Library fine-free?
Yes, no late fees (the library’s 2024 survey report).
How busy is Graettinger’s library?
It logged 6.2 visits and lent 2.0 print items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3.5 visits for libraries serving under 2,500 people.
What is Graettinger’s civic life grade?
Graettinger 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 Graettinger.
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.