Mason City Township’s library lends 7 print items per resident, against a typical 3.8 for libraries its size
Mason City Public Library District serves 3,377 people in and around Mason City Township. Last year it lent 24K print books and media and logged 18K visits.
The short version on Mason City Township’s library
Few programs for a library this size
Mason City Public Library District offered 29 programs last year, 8.6 per 1,000 residents against a typical 34. Kids & programs ↓
Gifts and endowments pay a real share
28% of the system’s income comes from gifts, endowments, fees and other sources, not taxes. Local taxes cover 70%. What your card is worth ↓
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; Mason City Public Library District serves 3,377 people in and around Mason City Township, and its numbers cover all of them.
What’s behind Mason City Township’s civic life grade
Mason City Township 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 4 of 6 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people across the U.S.
Mason City Public Library District serves 3,377 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000.
Every hour the doors are open, about 11 items go out
Fiscal year 2024, for the whole Mason City Public Library District system. The library’s own count.
Books and media off the shelf
24K 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 Mason City Township’s library in 2024, so there’s no split between adults’ and kids’ borrowing.
29 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
Mason City Public Library District, 820 West Chestnut Street, Mason City.
Good at every Mason City Public Library District branch.
New in Mason City Township? 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 $1.56 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Mason City Township cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $43. Operating budget $260K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $405K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $260K budget.
Late fines apply to some overdue items.
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 2,672 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mason City Township | Mason City Public Library District | — | 42 | — graded with its twin city |
| Salt Creek Township | None of its own | — | — | — under 1,000 residents |
| Sheridan Township | None of its own | — | — | — under 1,000 residents |
| Allens Grove Township | None of its own | — | — | — under 1,000 residents |
| Pennsylvania Township | None of its own | — | — | — under 1,000 residents |
| Prairie Creek Township | None of its own | — | — | — under 1,000 residents |
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.
- Digital loans not reported. Illinois libraries often don’t report e-book loans, so borrowing here is print only.
- System-wide. Mason City Public Library District serves 3,377 people in and around Mason City Township, so the yearly numbers cover all of them, not just Mason City Township.
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 Mason City Township
Does Mason City Township have a public library?
Yes. Mason City Public Library District, 820 West Chestnut Street, serves 3,377 people in and around Mason City Township (the survey’s count) and is open about 42 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Mason City Public Library District fine-free?
It charges late fines on some overdue items (the library’s 2024 survey report).
How busy is Mason City Township’s library?
It logged 5.5 visits and lent 7.0 print items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3 visits for libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people.
What is Mason City Township’s civic life grade?
Mason City Township 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 Mason City Township.
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.