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IchsPhoto: Theonlyphelps · Public domain
Trafalgar Branch · part of Johnson County Public Library

Trafalgar’s library is a branch of Johnson County Public Library, which lends more per resident than 88% of systems its size

Trafalgar’s library is the Trafalgar Branch, a branch of Johnson County Public Library, which serves 124,056 people and lent 1.3M items last year.

424 Tower Street, Trafalgar 46181 · about 61 hours a week
B+Civic lifeAhead of 74% of U.S. towns. Nonprofits and volunteering.
Directions (317) 878-9560 What’s a card worth?
Borrowed a year
1.3M
10.6 per resident
Visits a year
409K
3.3 per resident · Above typical (2.1)
Programs & events
3,472
about 67 a week · 65K attended
Cardholders
44%
55,021 cards
Open
61 hrs
a week at this branch
In brief

What Trafalgar’s library is like

Three times the programs of a typical library its size

The Johnson County Public Library system ran 3,472 programs last year, about 67 a week. That’s 28 per 1,000 residents, against a typical 9. People show up: 65,000 attended. Kids & programs ↓

Kids’ borrowing is a standout

Children’s books and media are 54% of print loans, and kids’ borrowing per resident is higher than at 88% of similar-size libraries. Kids & programs ↓

A system of heavy borrowers

The Johnson County Public Library system lends 7.8 print items per resident, against a typical 3.2 for libraries serving 100,000+ people, more than 88% of similar-size libraries. 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; Trafalgar’s library is a branch of Johnson County Public Library, so they cover the whole system (124,056 people), not just the Trafalgar branch.

Civic life grade

What’s behind Trafalgar’s civic life grade

On community nonprofits and volunteering, Trafalgar is ahead of 74% of U.S. towns. Trafalgar is graded on two of the three inputs. The share of younger adults in volunteering groups holds the grade up; Trafalgar’s count of community nonprofits pulls it down.

B+
Civic lifeA character grade: shown, never part of Trafalgar’s overall grade.
–Library visitsServed by a county or regional system, so there is no town figureC+Community nonprofits3.3 per 1,000 residents · IN towns 3.6 · U.S. 3.7AVolunteering12.4% of adults 25–44 · IN towns 9.1% · U.S. 7.5%
All U.S. towns we grade (17,556)Ahead of 74%
FewerMore
U.S. towns with similar incomes, $58K–$97K (9,232)Ahead of 73%

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.

How sure. Graded on two inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. Trafalgar is small (1,658 residents), so a few dozen organizations or visits move its per-resident figures; the volunteering share is a 2022 estimate from Facebook users aged 25–44.

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 →

Places to belong

5 community nonprofits are registered in Trafalgar

3.3 per 1,000 residents, against a U.S. town median of 3.7. The largest group: youth, sports & recreation.

Community nonprofits, by kind

Arts & culture00.00 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.24
Youth, sports & recreation21.29 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.52
Civic groups, clubs & veterans00.00 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.74
Human services00.34 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.59
Education21.29 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.43
Health00.34 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.16
Environment & animals00.00 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.17

Counted from the IRS list of tax-exempt organizations by mailing address (fractions where a ZIP code spans towns). Congregations are counted apart (3 here), since whether a church registers depends on its denomination, not the town.

Volunteering

12.4%

12.4% of Trafalgar’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 Trafalgar’s residents live; 2022.

★ What stands out · Kids & programs

About 35 kids’ programs a week

Story times, clubs, classes and events, across the whole system, by who they’re for.

Schools in Trafalgar →

Programs last year by age group

Ages 0–51,080
Ages 6–11744
Teens269
Adults970
All ages409
Little ones
20.8

story times and programs a week for ages 0–5, on average.

523K
kids’ books & media borrowed
65K
people at programs
3,472
programs
How it compares

Ahead of most similar-size libraries on all 8 measures

Per resident, against libraries serving 100,000+ people across the U.S.

Visits per resident 3.3 visits · typical 2.1Higher than 81%
Borrowing per resident 7.8 print items · typical 3.2Higher than 88%
Digital borrowing 2.8 e-items · typical 1.4Higher than 76%
Kids’ borrowing 4.2 kids’ items · typical 1.6Higher than 88%
Program attendance 0.5 attendees · typical 0.2Top 10%
Programs offered 28 per 1,000 residents · typical 9Top 10%
Cardholders 44% of residents · typical 41%Higher than 57%
Spending $61 per resident · typical $36Higher than 78%
Fewer per residentMore per resident
Size group

Johnson County Public Library serves 124,056 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 100,000+.

A year at the library

Every hour the doors are open, about 80 items go out

Fiscal year 2024, for the whole Johnson County Public Library system. The library’s own count.

409K
visits
3.3 per resident
1.3M
loans, print + digital
10.6 per resident
3,472
programs & events
65K attended
55K
library cards
44% of people served
Every open hour80items borrowed
Every week1,247people at a program
Every day141Wi-Fi sessions
73 staff (full-time equivalent)94 public computers
What people borrow

More than half the print loans are kids’ books

1.3M loans last year: print, kids’ and digital.

1.3Mloans
Books & media (adults) 34%Kids’ books & media 40%E-books, audio & streaming 27%
From your couch

351,622 e-books, e-audiobooks and streams last year. Borrow from home with your card, plus research databases: courses, journals, genealogy and more.

The building

Find it

Trafalgar Branch, 424 Tower Street, Trafalgar.

Directions(317) 878-9560
61
hours open a week
19,000
square feet
With a card

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 Johnson County Public Library branch.

New in Trafalgar? The Handbook →

Hours are the survey’s yearly average. Check the library’s own site for today’s hours.

What your card is worth

For every $1 it spends, the library lends about $2.62 worth

Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Trafalgar cardholder borrows.

In a month I’d use…
Books$17 each
1
Kids’ books$12 each
1
E-books & audio$15 each
1
Movies & music$4 each
0
Programs & classes$10 a program
0
Computer & Wi-Fi$3 a session
0
Your card saves you about
$528
a year at retail prices · $44 a month

Who pays for it
$61 per resident a year

Typical for a library this size: $36. Operating budget $7.6M.

Local taxes 86%State 4%Gifts & other 9%

Last year the library lent and hosted about $2M worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $7.6M 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 55,021 cardholders ÷ 12.

How to read these numbers

What this data can and can’t tell you

From the Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024.

  • System-wide. Trafalgar Branch is one branch of Johnson County Public Library, so the yearly numbers cover every branch and all 124,056 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 Trafalgar

Does Trafalgar have a public library?

Yes: Trafalgar Branch, 424 Tower Street, is a branch of Johnson County Public Library, which serves 124,056 people. The branch is open about 61 hours a week, averaged over the year.

Is Johnson County 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 Trafalgar’s library?

It logged 3.3 visits and lent 10.6 items per resident in 2024, against a typical 2.1 visits for libraries serving 100,000+ people.

What is Trafalgar’s civic life grade?

B+ Trafalgar is ahead of 74% 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 Trafalgar.

Town Square →
Start a conversation

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.