Photo: Nyttend · Public domainHyden’s library lends 21 print items per resident, against a typical 3.8 for libraries its size
Leslie County Public Library serves 9,864 people in and around Hyden. Last year it lent 211K books, movies and e-books and logged 31K visits.
Hyden’s library, in brief
Kids’ borrowing is a standout
Children’s books and media are 47% of print loans, and kids’ borrowing per resident is higher than at 99% of similar-size libraries. Kids & programs ↓
More library cards than residents
9,849 cards for 9,864 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 ↓
People borrow more than they stay
Borrowing per resident is higher than at 99% of similar-size libraries, but visits are lower than at 47%. People come in, pick up their books and go. How it compares ↓
Almost all the borrowing is off the shelf
Only 2% of loans are e-books, audiobooks or streaming, fewer per resident than at 72% 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; Leslie County Public Library serves 9,864 people in and around Hyden, and its numbers cover all of them.
What’s behind Hyden’s civic life grade
Hyden 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 3 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 6 of 8 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people across the U.S.
Leslie County Public Library serves 9,864 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000.
Every hour the doors are open, about 46 items go out
Fiscal year 2024, for the whole Leslie County Public Library system. The library’s own count.
Almost half the print loans are kids’ books
211K loans last year: print, kids’ and digital.
4,679 e-books, e-audiobooks and streams last year. Borrow from home with your card, plus research databases: courses, journals, genealogy and more.
Find it
Leslie County Public Library, 22065 Main Street, Hyden.
No late fees. E-books and audiobooks from home. Research databases: courses, journals, genealogy. Good at every Leslie County Public Library branch.
New in Hyden? 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 $8.21 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Hyden cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $43. Operating budget $439K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $3.6M worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $439K 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 9,849 cardholders ÷ 12.
What this data can and can’t tell you
From the Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024.
- System-wide. Leslie County Public Library serves 9,864 people in and around Hyden, so the yearly numbers cover all of them, not just Hyden.
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 Hyden
Does Hyden have a public library?
Yes. Leslie County Public Library, 22065 Main Street, serves 9,864 people in and around Hyden (the survey’s count) and is open about 53 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Leslie 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 Hyden’s library?
It logged 3.2 visits and lent 21.4 items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3 visits for libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people.
What is Hyden’s civic life grade?
Hyden 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 Hyden.
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.