Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Spillville

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
Wenzil Taylor BuildingWenzil Taylor Building · Photo: Kevin Schuchmann · CC BY-SA 3.0
Spillville Public Library

Spillville’s library runs 243 programs per 1,000 residents, against a typical 60 for libraries its size

Spillville Public Library serves Spillville’s 775 residents. Last year it lent 1,703 print books and media and logged 2,812 visits.

201 Oak St., Spillville 52168 · about 24 hours a week
–Civic lifeNot graded: fewer than 1,000 residents
Borrowed a year
1,703
2.2 per resident
Visits a year
2,812
3.6 per resident · Above typical (3.5)
Programs & events
188
about 4 a week · 900 attended
Cardholders
33%
253 cards
Open
24 hrs
a week
In brief

The short version on Spillville’s library

Four times the programs of a typical library its size

Spillville Public Library ran 188 programs last year, about 4 a week. That’s 243 per 1,000 residents, against a typical 60. Kids & programs ↓

A small-town library

Spillville Public Library serves 775 residents with about one full-time staff, open about 24 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.

Civic life grade

What’s behind Spillville’s civic life grade

Spillville isn’t graded on civic life: TownRatings grades towns of 1,000 residents or more.

–
Civic lifeA character grade: shown, never part of Spillville’s overall grade.

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 →

★ What stands out · Kids & programs

188 programs a year

Story times, clubs, classes and events, by who they’re for.

Schools in Spillville →

Programs last year by age group

Ages 0–521
Ages 6–113
Teens14
Adults84
All ages66
Little ones
0.4

story times and programs a week for ages 0–5, on average.

410
kids’ books & media borrowed
900
people at programs
188
programs
How it compares

Ahead of most similar-size libraries on 3 of 7 measures

Per resident, against libraries serving under 2,500 people across the U.S.

Visits per resident 3.6 visits · typical 3.5Higher than 52%
Borrowing per resident 2.2 print items · typical 3.9Lower than 73%
Kids’ borrowing 0.5 kids’ items · typical 1.4Lower than 76%
Program attendance 1.2 attendees · typical 0.7Higher than 67%
Programs offered 242.6 per 1,000 residents · typical 60Top 10%
Cardholders 33% of residents · typical 54%Lower than 74%
Spending $38 per resident · typical $54Lower than 70%
Fewer per residentMore per resident
Size group

Spillville Public Library serves 775 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving under 2,500.

A year at the library

Every hour the doors are open, about 1 item goes out

Fiscal year 2024. The library’s own count.

2,812
visits
3.6 per resident
1,703
loans, print + digital
2.2 per resident
188
programs & events
900 attended
253
library cards
33% of people served
Every open hour1items borrowed
Every week17people at a program
Every week54visits
1 staff (full-time equivalent)10 public computers7,596 books & media on the shelves
What people borrow

Books and media off the shelf

1,703 print loans last year. The library didn’t report its e-book and e-audiobook loans.

1,703loans
Books & media (adults) 76%Kids’ books & media 24%
How hard the shelves work
0.2×

Each of the 7,596 books and other items on the shelves went out about 0.2 time last year, on average.

The building

Find it

Spillville Public Library, 201 Oak St., Spillville.

24
hours open a week
4,890
square feet
7,596
books & media
With a card

No late fees.

New in Spillville? The Handbook →

Hours are the survey’s yearly average. Check the library’s own site for today’s hours.

What your card is worth

For every $1 it spends, the library lends about $1.21 worth

Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Spillville cardholder borrows.

In a month I’d use…
Books$17 each
1
Kids’ books$12 each
0
E-books & audio$15 each
0
Movies & music$4 each
0
Programs & classes$10 a program
0
Computer & Wi-Fi$3 a session
0
Your card saves you about
$204
a year at retail prices · $17 a month

Who pays for it
$38 per resident a year

Typical for a library this size: $54. Operating budget $30K.

Local taxes 98%State 0%Gifts & other 2%

Last year the library lent and hosted about $36K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $30K 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 253 cardholders ÷ 12.

How to read these numbers

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 Spillville

Does Spillville have a public library?

Yes. Spillville Public Library, 201 Oak St., serves Spillville’s 775 residents (the survey’s count) and is open about 24 hours a week, averaged over the year.

Is Spillville Public Library fine-free?

Yes, no late fees (the library’s 2024 survey report).

How busy is Spillville’s library?

It logged 3.6 visits and lent 2.2 print items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3.5 visits for libraries serving under 2,500 people.

What is Spillville’s civic life grade?

Spillville 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 Spillville.

Town Square →
Start a conversation

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.