Photo: Bedford at en.wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0Springfield’s library lends 12 print items per resident, against a typical 3.9 for libraries its size
Washington County Public Library serves 12,267 people in and around Springfield. Last year it lent 151K books, movies and e-books and logged 33K visits.
Springfield’s library, in brief
People borrow more than they stay
Borrowing per resident is higher than at 93% of similar-size libraries, but visits are lower than at 56%. People come in, pick up their books and go. How it compares ↓
Kids’ borrowing is a standout
Children’s books and media are 40% of print loans, and kids’ borrowing per resident is higher than at 87% of similar-size libraries. Kids & programs ↓
81% of the people it serves carry a library card
9,918 cards for 12,267 people, or 81%. At the typical library serving 10,000 to 25,000 people, it’s 40%. How it compares ↓
Almost all the borrowing is off the shelf
Only 6% of loans are e-books, audiobooks or streaming, fewer per resident than at 62% 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; Washington County Public Library serves 12,267 people in and around Springfield, and its numbers cover all of them.
What’s behind Springfield’s civic life grade
On community nonprofits and volunteering, Springfield is ahead of 7% of U.S. towns, #116 of 126 in Kentucky. Springfield is graded on two of the three inputs. Both inputs sit below most U.S. towns; Springfield’s count of community nonprofits comes closest to the middle.
Most U.S. towns with similar household incomes ($37K–$61K) 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.
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 →
7 community nonprofits are registered in Springfield
2.5 per 1,000 residents, against a U.S. town median of 3.7. The largest group: youth, sports & recreation.
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 (3 here), since whether a church registers depends on its denomination, not the town.
4.4%
4.4% of Springfield’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 Springfield’s residents live; 2022.
Mostly books and media off the shelf
151K loans last year: print, kids’ and digital.
9,494 e-books, e-audiobooks and streams last year. Borrow from home with your card, plus research databases: courses, journals, genealogy and more.
Ahead of most similar-size libraries on 4 of 8 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000 people across the U.S.
Washington County Public Library serves 12,267 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000.
Every hour the doors are open, about 45 items go out
Fiscal year 2024, for the whole Washington County Public Library system. The library’s own count.
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.
Find it
Washington County Public Library, 333 West Main Street, Springfield.
E-books and audiobooks from home. Research databases: courses, journals, genealogy. Good at every Washington County Public Library branch.
New in Springfield? 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 $5.00 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Springfield cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $43. Operating budget $463K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $2.3M worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $463K budget.
Late fines apply to some overdue items.
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 9,918 cardholders ÷ 12.
What this data can and can’t tell you
From the Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024.
- System-wide. Washington County Public Library serves 12,267 people in and around Springfield, so the yearly numbers cover all of them, not just Springfield.
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 Springfield
Does Springfield have a public library?
Yes. Washington County Public Library, 333 West Main Street, serves 12,267 people in and around Springfield (the survey’s count) and is open about 52 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Washington County Public Library fine-free? Does it lend e-books?
It charges late fines on some overdue items, and it lends e-books and audiobooks with a card (the library’s 2024 survey report).
How busy is Springfield’s library?
It logged 2.7 visits and lent 12.3 items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3.1 visits for libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000 people.
What is Springfield’s civic life grade?
D Springfield is ahead of 7% of U.S. towns on civic life, #116 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 Springfield.
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.