Photo: Billwhittaker · CC BY-SA 3.0St. Ansgar’s library lends 5.8 print items per resident, against a typical 3.9 for libraries its size
Nissen Public Library serves St. Ansgar’s 2,450 residents. Last year it lent 14K print books and media and logged 5,992 visits.
St. Ansgar’s library, in brief
A small-town library
Nissen Public Library serves 2,450 residents with about 2 full-time staff, open about 36 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 ↓
Most programs are for young children
70% of the 61 programs last year were for ages 11 and under, including 0 for ages 0–5. Kids & programs ↓
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 St. Ansgar’s civic life grade
On community nonprofits and volunteering, St. Ansgar is ahead of 94% of U.S. towns. St. Ansgar is graded on two of the three inputs. Both inputs are above most U.S. towns; St. Ansgar’s count of community nonprofits ranks highest.
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 →
9 community nonprofits are registered in St. Ansgar
7.6 per 1,000 residents, against a U.S. town median of 3.7. The largest group: youth, sports & recreation.
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 (2 here), since whether a church registers depends on its denomination, not the town.
10.3%
10.3% of St. Ansgar’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 St. Ansgar’s residents live; 2022.
Ahead of most similar-size libraries on 3 of 7 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving under 2,500 people across the U.S.
Nissen Public Library serves 2,450 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving under 2,500.
Every hour the doors are open, about 8 items go out
Fiscal year 2024. The library’s own count.
Books and media off the shelf
14K print loans last year. The library didn’t report its e-book and e-audiobook loans.
Each of the 13K books and other items on the shelves went out about 1.1 time last year, on average.
61 programs a year
Story times, clubs, classes and events, by who they’re for.
Programs last year by age group
children’s books and media borrowed per child under 18 in St. Ansgar last year.
Find it
Nissen Public Library, 217 W 5th St., St. Ansgar.
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 $1.68 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average St. Ansgar cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $54. Operating budget $139K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $233K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $139K 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 517 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 St. Ansgar
Does St. Ansgar have a public library?
Yes. Nissen Public Library, 217 W 5th St., serves St. Ansgar’s 2,450 residents (the survey’s count) and is open about 36 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Nissen Public Library fine-free?
Yes, no late fees (the library’s 2024 survey report).
How busy is St. Ansgar’s library?
It logged 2.4 visits and lent 5.8 print items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3.5 visits for libraries serving under 2,500 people.
What is St. Ansgar’s civic life grade?
A St. Ansgar is ahead of 94% of U.S. towns on civic life. 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 St. Ansgar.
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.