Photo: Photo by William Whittaker, Office of the State Archaeologist, University of Iowa · CC BY-SA 4.0South English’s library logs 0.9 visits per resident, against a typical 3.5 for libraries its size
South English Public Library serves South English’s 205 residents. Last year it lent 105 print books and media and logged 175 visits.
What South English’s library is like
South English Public Library is used less than most libraries its size
South English Public Library records 0.9 visits per resident, against a typical 3.5 for libraries serving under 2,500 people. Borrowing is 0.5 print items per resident, against a typical 3.9. How it compares ↓
Open only about 10 hours a week
South English Public Library keeps short hours: about 10 a week, averaged over the year, so check its schedule before you go. The building ↓
Few programs for a library this size
South English Public Library offered 0 programs last year, 0 per 1,000 residents against a typical 60. Kids & programs ↓
More library cards than residents
215 cards for 205 people. Cards held by people from outside the service area count too, so the total can pass the population. At the typical library serving under 2,500 people, it’s 54%. How it compares ↓
A small-town library
South English Public Library serves 205 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 ↓
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 South English’s civic life grade
South English 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 6 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving under 2,500 people across the U.S.
South English Public Library serves 205 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving under 2,500.
A year at South English Public Library
Fiscal year 2024. The library’s own count.
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.
Books and media off the shelf
105 print loans last year. The library didn’t report its e-book and e-audiobook loans.
Each of the 9,716 books and other items on the shelves went out about 0 time last year, on average.
What kids borrow
Story times, clubs, classes and events, by who they’re for.
Find it
South English Public Library, 407 Ives St., South English.
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 South English cardholder borrows.
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 215 cardholders ÷ 12.
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 South English
Does South English have a public library?
Yes. South English Public Library, 407 Ives St., serves South English’s 205 residents (the survey’s count) and is open about 10 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is South English Public Library fine-free?
Yes, no late fees (the library’s 2024 survey report).
How busy is South English’s library?
It logged 0.9 visits and lent 0.5 print items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3.5 visits for libraries serving under 2,500 people.
What is South English’s civic life grade?
South English 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 South English.
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.