Shellsburg’s library runs 16 programs per 1,000 residents, against a typical 60 for libraries its size
Shellsburg Public Library serves Shellsburg’s 1,518 residents. Last year it lent 4,479 print books and media and logged 3,925 visits.
What’s behind Shellsburg’s civic life grade
Shellsburg 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 →
Ahead of most similar-size libraries on 1 of 7 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving under 2,500 people across the U.S.
Shellsburg Public Library serves 1,518 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving under 2,500.
Every hour the doors are open, about 4 items go out
Fiscal year 2024. The library’s own count.
Books and media off the shelf
4,479 print loans last year. The library didn’t report its e-book and e-audiobook loans.
Each of the 8,044 books and other items on the shelves went out about 0.6 time last year, on average.
25 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 Shellsburg last year.
Find it
Shellsburg Public Library, 110 Main St., Shellsburg.
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 $1.20 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Shellsburg cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $54. Operating budget $62K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $74K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $62K 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 1,251 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 Shellsburg
Does Shellsburg have a public library?
Yes. Shellsburg Public Library, 110 Main St., serves Shellsburg’s 1,518 residents (the survey’s count) and is open about 23 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Shellsburg Public Library fine-free?
It charges late fines on some overdue items (the library’s 2024 survey report).
How busy is Shellsburg’s library?
It logged 2.6 visits and lent 3.0 print items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3.5 visits for libraries serving under 2,500 people.
What is Shellsburg’s civic life grade?
Shellsburg 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 Shellsburg.
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.