Merrill’s library logs 1 visits per resident, against a typical 3.5 for libraries its size
Merrill Public Library serves Merrill’s 2,082 residents. Last year it lent 5,200 print books and media and logged 2,176 visits.
The short version on Merrill’s library
Below typical on every measure
Against libraries serving under 2,500 people, Merrill Public Library sits below the middle on all six per-resident measures we compare, and in the bottom 30% on three. How it compares ↓
A small-town library
Merrill Public Library serves 2,082 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 ↓
Open only about 22 hours a week
Merrill Public Library keeps short hours: about 22 a week, averaged over the year, so check its schedule before you go. The building ↓
Few residents carry a card
Only 17% of the people Merrill Public Library serves have a library card, against a typical 54% for its size. How it compares ↓
Fewer visits than most libraries its size
Merrill Public Library records 1 visits per resident, against a typical 3.5 for libraries serving under 2,500 people, below 91% of similar-size libraries. Borrowing holds up better, at 2.5 print items per resident. How it compares ↓
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 Merrill’s civic life grade
Merrill 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 →
Below most similar-size libraries on all 7 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving under 2,500 people across the U.S.
Merrill Public Library serves 2,082 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving under 2,500.
Every hour the doors are open, about 5 items go out
Fiscal year 2024. The library’s own count.
Books and media off the shelf
5,200 print loans last year. The library didn’t report its e-book and e-audiobook loans.
Each of the 8,463 books and other items on the shelves went out about 0.6 time last year, on average.
95 programs a year
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 Merrill last year.
Find it
Merrill Public Library, 608 Main St., Merrill.
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 $1.75 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Merrill cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $54. Operating budget $54K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $95K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $54K 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 359 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 Merrill
Does Merrill have a public library?
Yes. Merrill Public Library, 608 Main St., serves Merrill’s 2,082 residents (the survey’s count) and is open about 22 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Merrill Public Library fine-free?
It charges late fines on some overdue items (the library’s 2024 survey report).
How busy is Merrill’s library?
It logged 1.0 visits and lent 2.5 print items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3.5 visits for libraries serving under 2,500 people.
What is Merrill’s civic life grade?
Merrill 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 Merrill.
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.