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Nelson County Public Library

Bardstown’s library runs 38 programs per 1,000 residents, against a typical 14 for libraries its size

Nelson County Public Library serves 47,730 people in and around Bardstown. Last year it lent 225K books, movies and e-books and logged 135K visits.

201 Cathedral Manor, Bardstown 40004 · about 54 hours a week
DCivic lifeAhead of 11% of U.S. towns · #109 of 126 in Kentucky. Nonprofits and volunteering.
Directions (502) 348-3714 What’s a card worth?
Borrowed a year
225K
4.7 per resident
Visits a year
135K
2.8 per resident · Above typical (2.6)
Programs & events
1,831
about 35 a week · 30K attended
Cardholders
29%
14,050 cards
Open
54 hrs
a week at this branch
In brief

Bardstown’s library, in brief

Twice the programs of a typical library its size

Nelson County Public Library ran 1,831 programs last year, about 35 a week. That’s 38 per 1,000 residents, against a typical 14. Kids & programs ↓

Programs lean toward adults

57% of the 1,831 programs last year were for adults: classes, talks, clubs and events. 490 were for children. 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; Nelson County Public Library serves 47,730 people in and around Bardstown, and its numbers cover all of them.

Civic life grade

What’s behind Bardstown’s civic life grade

On community nonprofits and volunteering, Bardstown is ahead of 11% of U.S. towns, #109 of 126 in Kentucky. Bardstown is graded on two of the three inputs. Both inputs sit below most U.S. towns; Bardstown’s count of community nonprofits comes closest to the middle.

D
Civic lifeA character grade: shown, never part of Bardstown’s overall grade.
–Library visitsServed by a county or regional system, so there is no town figureC−Community nonprofits2.4 per 1,000 residents · KY towns 3.1 · U.S. 3.7C−Volunteering5.3% of adults 25–44 · KY towns 6.6% · U.S. 7.5%
All U.S. towns we grade (17,556)Ahead of 11%
FewerMore
Kentucky towns we grade (126)Ahead of 14%
U.S. towns with similar incomes, $39K–$64K (5,373)Ahead of 13%

Most U.S. towns with similar household incomes ($39K–$64K) score higher, so income alone doesn’t account for it.

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. 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

33 community nonprofits are registered in Bardstown

2.4 per 1,000 residents, against a U.S. town median of 3.7. The largest group: civic groups, clubs & veterans.

Community nonprofits, by kind

Arts & culture40.25 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.24
Youth, sports & recreation40.29 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.52
Civic groups, clubs & veterans80.60 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.74
Human services40.29 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.59
Education30.19 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.43
Health20.16 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.16
Environment & animals40.25 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.17
Other50.38 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.47

Counted from the IRS list of tax-exempt organizations by mailing address (fractions where a ZIP code spans towns). Congregations are counted apart (8 here), since whether a church registers depends on its denomination, not the town.

Volunteering

5.3%

5.3% of Bardstown’s Facebook users aged 25–44 belong to a volunteering or activism group, against 6.6% in the typical Kentucky 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 Bardstown’s residents live; 2022.

★ What stands out · Kids & programs

About 9 kids’ programs a week

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

Schools in Bardstown →

Programs last year by age group

Ages 0–5309
Ages 6–11181
Teens165
Adults1,047
All ages129
Little ones
5.9

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

66K
kids’ books & media borrowed
30K
people at programs
1,831
programs
How it compares

Ahead of most similar-size libraries on 5 of 8 measures

Per resident, against libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people across the U.S.

Visits per resident 2.8 visits · typical 2.6Higher than 55%
Borrowing per resident 3.1 print items · typical 3.7Lower than 58%
Digital borrowing 1.6 e-items · typical 1.2Higher than 63%
Kids’ borrowing 1.4 kids’ items · typical 1.7Lower than 57%
Program attendance 0.6 attendees · typical 0.3Higher than 82%
Programs offered 38.4 per 1,000 residents · typical 14Top 10%
Cardholders 29% of residents · typical 39%Lower than 71%
Spending $53 per resident · typical $40Higher than 66%
Fewer per residentMore per resident
Size group

Nelson County Public Library serves 47,730 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000.

A year at the library

Every hour the doors are open, about 26 items go out

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

135K
visits
2.8 per resident
225K
loans, print + digital
4.7 per resident
1,831
programs & events
30K attended
14K
library cards
29% of people served
Every open hour26items borrowed
Every week575people at a program
Every day3,688Wi-Fi sessions
25 staff (full-time equivalent)20 public computers
What people borrow

Mostly books and media off the shelf

225K loans last year: print, kids’ and digital.

225Kloans
Books & media (adults) 37%Kids’ books & media 29%E-books, audio & streaming 34%
From your couch

75,675 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

Nelson County Public Library, 201 Cathedral Manor, Bardstown.

Directions(502) 348-3714
54
hours open a week
25,842
square feet
With a card

No late fees. E-books and audiobooks from home. Research databases: courses, journals, genealogy. Good at every Nelson County Public Library branch.

New in Bardstown? 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 $3.01 worth

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

In a month I’d use…
Books$17 each
1
Kids’ books$12 each
0
E-books & audio$15 each
0
Movies & music$4 each
0
Programs & classes$10 a program
0
Computer & Wi-Fi$3 a session
8
Your card saves you about
$492
a year at retail prices · $41 a month

Who pays for it
$53 per resident a year

Typical for a library this size: $40. Operating budget $2.6M.

Local taxes 95%State 2%Gifts & other 3%

Last year the library lent and hosted about $7.7M worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $2.6M 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 14,050 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. Nelson County Public Library serves 47,730 people in and around Bardstown, so the yearly numbers cover all of them, not just Bardstown.

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 Bardstown

Does Bardstown have a public library?

Yes. Nelson County Public Library, 201 Cathedral Manor, serves 47,730 people in and around Bardstown (the survey’s count) and is open about 54 hours a week, averaged over the year.

Is Nelson 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 Bardstown’s library?

It logged 2.8 visits and lent 4.7 items per resident in 2024, against a typical 2.6 visits for libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people.

What is Bardstown’s civic life grade?

D Bardstown is ahead of 11% of U.S. towns on civic life, #109 of 126 in Kentucky. 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 Bardstown.

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.