Photo: Nyttend · Public domainBrussels’ library logs 6 visits per resident, against a typical 3.5 for libraries its size
South County Public Library District serves 1,122 people in and around Brussels. Last year it lent 2,004 print books and media and logged 6,750 visits.
Brussels’s library, in brief
More of a place to be than a place to borrow
Visits per resident beat 75% of similar-size libraries, while borrowing beats only 21%. A year at the library ↓
Few programs for a library this size
South County Public Library District offered 9 programs last year, 8 per 1,000 residents against a typical 60. 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; South County Public Library District serves 1,122 people in and around Brussels, and its numbers cover all of them; in a town this small, one busy program or a few avid readers move the per-resident numbers.
What’s behind Brussels’ civic life grade
Brussels 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 County Public Library District serves 1,122 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving under 2,500.
Every hour the doors are open, about 2 items go out
Fiscal year 2024, for the whole South County Public Library District system. The library’s own count.
Books and media off the shelf
2,004 print loans last year. The library didn’t report its e-book and e-audiobook loans.
The survey has no count of children’s loans for Brussels’ library in 2024, so there’s no split between adults’ and kids’ borrowing.
9 programs a year
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.
Find it
South County Public Library District, 108 West Main Street, Brussels.
No late fees. Good at every South County Public Library District branch.
New in Brussels? 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 $1.31 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Brussels cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $54. Operating budget $27K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $35K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $27K 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 550 cardholders ÷ 12.
What this data can and can’t tell you
From the Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024.
- Digital loans not reported. Illinois libraries often don’t report e-book loans, so borrowing here is print only.
- System-wide. South County Public Library District serves 1,122 people in and around Brussels, so the yearly numbers cover all of them, not just Brussels.
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 Brussels
Does Brussels have a public library?
Yes. South County Public Library District, 108 West Main Street, serves 1,122 people in and around Brussels (the survey’s count) and is open about 23 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is South County Public Library District fine-free?
Yes, no late fees (the library’s 2024 survey report).
How busy is Brussels’ library?
It logged 6.0 visits and lent 1.8 print items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3.5 visits for libraries serving under 2,500 people.
What is Brussels’ civic life grade?
Brussels 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 Brussels.
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.