Star Camp · Photo: Tamanoeconomico · CC BY-SA 4.0Star’s library is a branch of Ada County District, which lends more per resident than 88% of systems its size
Star’s library is the Ada County District - Star Branch, a branch of Ada County District, which serves 67,089 people and lent 756K items last year.
The short version on Star’s library
Three times the programs of a typical library its size
The Ada County District system ran 3,005 programs last year, about 58 a week. That’s 45 per 1,000 residents, against a typical 14. People show up: 73,000 attended. Kids & programs ↓
More than half the print loans are for kids
Children’s books and media are 63% of print loans, and kids’ borrowing per resident is higher than at 93% of similar-size libraries. Kids & programs ↓
One of the busiest library systems its size
The Ada County District system logs 4.8 visits per resident, against a typical 2.6 for libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people, and lends 9.3 print items per resident against a typical 3.7. On both counts it beats 85% of similar-size libraries across the U.S. How it compares ↓
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; Star’s library is a branch of Ada County District, so they cover the whole system (67,089 people), not just the Star branch.
What’s behind Star’s civic life grade
On community nonprofits and volunteering, Star is ahead of 54% of U.S. towns, #30 of 54 in Idaho. Star is graded on two of the three inputs. The share of younger adults in volunteering groups holds the grade up; Star’s count of community nonprofits 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 →
35 community nonprofits are registered in Star
2.4 per 1,000 residents, against a U.S. town median of 3.7. The largest group: human services.
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 (16 here), since whether a church registers depends on its denomination, not the town. 5 more name a national or statewide reach and are left out.
11.0%
11.0% of Star’s Facebook users aged 25–44 belong to a volunteering or activism group, against 8.7% in the typical Idaho 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 Star’s residents live; 2022.
About 31 kids’ programs a week
Story times, clubs, classes and events, across the whole system, by who they’re for.
Programs last year by age group
story times and programs a week for ages 0–5, on average.
Ahead of most similar-size libraries on all 8 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people across the U.S.
Ada County District serves 67,089 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000.
A year at Ada County District
Fiscal year 2024, for the whole Ada County District system. The library’s own count.
More than half the print loans are kids’ books
756K loans last year: print, kids’ and digital.
131,370 e-books, e-audiobooks and streams last year. Borrow from home with your card, plus research databases: courses, journals, genealogy and more.
Find it
Ada County District - Star Branch, 10706 W State St. Ste D, Star.
No late fees. E-books and audiobooks from home. Loans renew on their own if no one’s waiting. Research databases: courses, journals, genealogy. Good at every Ada County District branch.
New in Star? The Handbook →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 $2.54 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Star cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $40. Operating budget $4.5M.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $12M worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $4.5M 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 33,050 cardholders ÷ 12.
Libraries next door
Who has a library of their own, and how much each town borrows. Tap a town to see its library.
| Town | Library | Loans per resident | Hours | Civic life |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eagle | Eagle Public fine-free | 19.8 | 63 | A− |
| Star | Ada County District - Star Branch fine-free | — | 48 | B− |
Loans = print + digital items borrowed in the library’s fiscal year, per person it serves. — = no library of its own, a county or regional system (its numbers cover many towns), or no report. Civic life: — = not graded (unincorporated places, whose nonprofits can’t be placed by mailing address, or towns with fewer than two of the three inputs).
What this data can and can’t tell you
From the Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024.
- System-wide. Ada County District - Star Branch is one branch of Ada County District, so the yearly numbers cover every branch and all 67,089 people it serves.
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 Star
Does Star have a public library?
Yes: Ada County District - Star Branch, 10706 W State St. Ste D, is a branch of Ada County District, which serves 67,089 people. The branch is open about 48 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Ada County District fine-free? Does it lend e-books?
Yes to both: no late fees, and e-books, audiobooks and research databases with a card (the library’s 2024 survey report).
How busy is Star’s library?
It logged 4.8 visits and lent 11.3 items per resident in 2024, against a typical 2.6 visits for libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people.
What is Star’s civic life grade?
B− Star is ahead of 54% of U.S. towns on civic life, #30 of 54 in Idaho. 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 Star.
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.