Photo: Chris Light at English Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0Ferdinand’s library is a branch of Jasper-Dubois County Contractual Public Library, which lends more per resident than 89% of systems its size
Ferdinand’s library is the Ferdinand Branch, a branch of Jasper-Dubois County Contractual Public Library, which serves 33,733 people and lent 428K items last year.
Ferdinand’s library, in brief
Three times the programs of a typical library its size
The Jasper-Dubois County Contractual Public Library system ran 1,469 programs last year, about 28 a week. That’s 44 per 1,000 residents, against a typical 14. People show up: 34,000 attended. Kids & programs ↓
One of the busiest library systems its size
The Jasper-Dubois County Contractual Public Library system logs 6.2 visits per resident, against a typical 2.6 for libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people, and lends 9.6 print items per resident against a typical 3.7. On both counts it beats 89% of similar-size libraries across the U.S. How it compares ↓
More than half the print loans are for kids
Children’s books and media are 58% of print loans, and kids’ borrowing per resident is higher than at 92% of similar-size libraries. Kids & programs ↓
Big on e-books and audiobooks
Digital borrowing runs 3.1 e-items per resident, against a typical 1.2, higher than at 88% of similar-size libraries. It’s 24% of all loans. What people borrow ↓
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; Ferdinand’s library is a branch of Jasper-Dubois County Contractual Public Library, so they cover the whole system (33,733 people), not just the Ferdinand branch.
What’s behind Ferdinand’s civic life grade
On community nonprofits and volunteering, Ferdinand is ahead of 96% of U.S. towns. Ferdinand is graded on two of the three inputs. Both inputs are above most U.S. towns; Ferdinand’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 →
18 community nonprofits are registered in Ferdinand
7.7 per 1,000 residents, against a U.S. town median of 3.7. The largest group: civic groups, clubs & veterans.
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.
11.4%
11.4% of Ferdinand’s Facebook users aged 25–44 belong to a volunteering or activism group, against 9.1% in the typical Indiana 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 Ferdinand’s residents live; 2022.
About 12 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.
Jasper-Dubois County Contractual Public Library serves 33,733 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000.
Every hour the doors are open, about 45 items go out
Fiscal year 2024, for the whole Jasper-Dubois County Contractual Public Library system. The library’s own count.
More than half the print loans are kids’ books
428K loans last year: print, kids’ and digital.
103,620 e-books, e-audiobooks and streams last year. Borrow from home with your card, plus research databases: courses, journals, genealogy and more.
Find it
Ferdinand Branch, 112 East 16th Street, Ferdinand.
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 Jasper-Dubois County Contractual Public Library branch.
New in Ferdinand? 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 $2.97 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Ferdinand cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $40. Operating budget $2.3M.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $6.8M worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $2.3M 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 14,126 cardholders ÷ 12.
What this data can and can’t tell you
From the Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024.
- System-wide. Ferdinand Branch is one branch of Jasper-Dubois County Contractual Public Library, so the yearly numbers cover every branch and all 33,733 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 Ferdinand
Does Ferdinand have a public library?
Yes: Ferdinand Branch, 112 East 16th Street, is a branch of Jasper-Dubois County Contractual Public Library, which serves 33,733 people. The branch is open about 57 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Jasper-Dubois County Contractual Public Library 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 Ferdinand’s library?
It logged 6.2 visits and lent 12.7 items per resident in 2024, against a typical 2.6 visits for libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people.
What is Ferdinand’s civic life grade?
A+ Ferdinand is ahead of 96% 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 Ferdinand.
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.