Photo: David Wilson · CC BY 2.0Perry’s library runs 107 programs per 1,000 residents, against a typical 34 for libraries its size
Perry Public Library serves Perry’s 9,342 residents from 2 locations. Last year it lent 39K print books and media and logged 64K visits.
Perry’s library, in brief
Three times the programs of a typical library its size
Perry Public Library ran 1,001 programs last year, about 19 a week. That’s 107 per 1,000 residents, against a typical 34. People show up: 19,000 attended. Kids & programs ↓
The library is a National Register landmark
Perry Carnegie Library Building has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1996. Today’s library there has 12,850 square feet. The buildings ↓
Perry invests in its library
Perry Public Library spends $88 per resident a year, about twice the typical $43 for a library its size. Almost all of it (87%) comes from local taxes. What your card is worth ↓
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 Perry’s civic life grade
On library visits, community nonprofits and volunteering, Perry is ahead of 63% of U.S. towns, #96 of 138 in Iowa. Library visits hold the grade up; the share of younger adults in volunteering groups pulls it down.
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 →
43 community nonprofits are registered in Perry
5.4 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 (11 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.
5.1%
5.1% of Perry’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 Perry’s residents live; 2022.
About 10 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 Perry last year.
Ahead of most similar-size libraries on 6 of 7 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people across the U.S.
Perry Public Library serves 9,342 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000.
Every hour the doors are open, about 9 items go out
Fiscal year 2024. The library’s own count.
Books and media off the shelf
39K print loans last year. The library didn’t report its e-book and e-audiobook loans.
Each of the 38K books and other items on the shelves went out about 1 time last year, on average.
A National Register landmark since 1996
Perry Public Library, 1101 Willis Ave, Perry.
Hours are the survey’s yearly average. Check the library’s own site for today’s hours.
Perry Carnegie Library Building
Perry Carnegie Library Building was added to the National Register of Historic Places on Oct 3, 1996. It is significant for its education and architecture at the local level. Its architecture is described as Classical Revival. It was listed as part of Public Library Buildings in Iowa TR.
The Perry Carnegie Library Building, also known as the Carnegie Library Museum, is a historic structure located in Perry, Iowa, United States. The Perry Library Association was established in 1894, and William Tarr served as its first librarian. Andrew Carnegie accepted Perry's application for a grant for $10,600 on January 13, 1903.
More about the building →Other libraries in Perry
What a library card is worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Perry cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $43. Operating budget $818K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $816K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $818K 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 5,018 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 Perry
Does Perry have a public library?
Yes. Perry Public Library, 1101 Willis Ave, serves Perry’s 9,342 residents (the survey’s count) and is open about 57 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Perry Public Library fine-free?
It charges late fines on some overdue items (the library’s 2024 survey report).
How busy is Perry’s library?
It logged 6.9 visits and lent 4.2 print items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3 visits for libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people.
What is Perry’s civic life grade?
B Perry is ahead of 63% of U.S. towns on civic life, #96 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 Perry.
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.