Waverly’s library is a branch of Coffey County Library, which lends more per resident than 90% of systems its size
Waverly’s library is the Waverly, a branch of Coffey County Library, which serves 8,251 people and lent 118K items last year.
The short version on Waverly’s library
More library cards than residents
14,088 cards for 8,251 people. Cards held by people from outside the service area count too, so the total can pass the population. At the typical library serving 2,500 to 10,000 people, it’s 42%. How it compares ↓
Eight times the programs of a typical library its size
The Coffey County Library system ran 2,186 programs last year, about 42 a week. That’s 265 per 1,000 residents, against a typical 34. People show up: 34,000 attended. Kids & programs ↓
One of the busiest library systems its size
The Coffey County Library system logs 15 visits per resident, against a typical 3 for libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people, and lends 9.6 print items per resident against a typical 3.8. On both counts it beats 90% of similar-size libraries across the U.S. How it compares ↓
Big on e-books and audiobooks
Digital borrowing runs 4.7 e-items per resident, against a typical 1, higher than at 96% of similar-size libraries. It’s 33% of all loans. What people borrow ↓
A well-funded system
The Coffey County Library system spends $181 per resident a year, about four times the typical $43 for a library its size. Almost all of it (97%) comes from local taxes. 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; Waverly’s library is a branch of Coffey County Library, so they cover the whole system (8,251 people), not just the Waverly branch.
What’s behind Waverly’s civic life grade
Waverly 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 →
About 23 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 2,500 to 10,000 people across the U.S.
Coffey County Library serves 8,251 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000.
Every hour the doors are open, about 8 items go out
Fiscal year 2024, for the whole Coffey County Library system. The library’s own count.
Mostly books and media off the shelf
118K loans last year: print, kids’ and digital.
38,667 e-books, e-audiobooks and streams last year. Borrow from home with your card, plus research databases: courses, journals, genealogy and more.
Find it
Waverly, 608 Pearson, Waverly.
No late fees. E-books and audiobooks from home. Research databases: courses, journals, genealogy. Good at every Coffey County Library branch.
New in Waverly? 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 $1.59 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Waverly cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $43. Operating budget $1.5M.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $2.4M worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $1.5M 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 14,088 cardholders ÷ 12.
What this data can and can’t tell you
From the Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024.
- System-wide. Waverly is one branch of Coffey County Library, so the yearly numbers cover every branch and all 8,251 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 Waverly
Does Waverly have a public library?
Yes: Waverly, 608 Pearson, is a branch of Coffey County Library, which serves 8,251 people. The branch is open about 44 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Coffey County 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 Waverly’s library?
It logged 14.7 visits and lent 14.3 items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3 visits for libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people.
What is Waverly’s civic life grade?
Waverly 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 Waverly.
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.