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Lexington Extension of the Louisville Southern RailroadLexington Extension of the Louisville Southern Railroad · Photo: Nyttend · Public domain
Woodford County Library District

Versailles’ library runs 66 programs per 1,000 residents, against a typical 14 for libraries its size

Woodford County Library District serves 27,268 people in and around Versailles. Last year it lent 197K books, movies and e-books and logged 94K visits.

115 North Main St., Versailles 40383 · about 65 hours a week
A−Civic lifeAhead of 76% of U.S. towns · #11 of 126 in Kentucky. Nonprofits and volunteering.
Directions (859) 873-5191 What’s a card worth?
Borrowed a year
197K
7.2 per resident
Visits a year
94K
3.4 per resident · Above typical (2.6)
Programs & events
1,795
about 35 a week · 26K attended
Cardholders
68%
18,640 cards
Open
65 hrs
a week at this branch
In brief

What Versailles’s library is like

Five times the programs of a typical library its size

Woodford County Library District ran 1,795 programs last year, about 35 a week. That’s 66 per 1,000 residents, against a typical 14. People show up: 26,000 attended. Kids & programs ↓

41% of borrowing happens on a screen

E-books, e-audiobooks and streaming make up 41% of loans, more per resident than at 87% of similar-size libraries. Print still makes up 59%, much of it kids’ books. What people borrow ↓

Open about 65 hours a week

The Versailles branch is open about 65 hours a week, averaged over the year. The building ↓

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; Woodford County Library District serves 27,268 people in and around Versailles, and its numbers cover all of them.

Civic life grade

What’s behind Versailles’ civic life grade

On community nonprofits and volunteering, Versailles is ahead of 76% of U.S. towns, #11 of 126 in Kentucky. Versailles is graded on two of the three inputs. Both inputs are above most U.S. towns; Versailles’ count of community nonprofits ranks highest.

A−
Civic lifeA character grade: shown, never part of Versailles’ overall grade.
–Library visitsServed by a county or regional system, so there is no town figureB+Community nonprofits4.9 per 1,000 residents · KY towns 3.1 · U.S. 3.7BVolunteering8.7% of adults 25–44 · KY towns 6.6% · U.S. 7.5%
All U.S. towns we grade (17,556)Ahead of 76%
FewerMore
Kentucky towns we grade (126)Ahead of 92%
U.S. towns with similar incomes, $47K–$78K (8,179)Ahead of 74%

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

52 community nonprofits are registered in Versailles

4.9 per 1,000 residents, against a U.S. town median of 3.7. The largest group: education.

Community nonprofits, by kind

Arts & culture40.36 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.24
Youth, sports & recreation80.80 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.52
Civic groups, clubs & veterans70.69 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.74
Human services60.56 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.59
Education101.00 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.43
Health40.36 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.16
Environment & animals40.40 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.17
Other80.76 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. 1 more name a national or statewide reach and are left out.

Volunteering

8.7%

8.7% of Versailles’ 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 Versailles’ residents live; 2022.

★ What stands out · Kids & programs

About 20 kids’ programs a week

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

Schools in Versailles →

Programs last year by age group

Ages 0–5633
Ages 6–11392
Teens267
Adults414
All ages89
Little ones
12.2

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

63K
kids’ books & media borrowed
26K
people at programs
1,795
programs
How it compares

Ahead of most similar-size libraries on all 8 measures

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

Visits per resident 3.4 visits · typical 2.6Higher than 67%
Borrowing per resident 4.2 print items · typical 3.7Higher than 56%
Digital borrowing 3 e-items · typical 1.2Higher than 87%
Kids’ borrowing 2.3 kids’ items · typical 1.7Higher than 63%
Program attendance 1 attendees · typical 0.3Top 10%
Programs offered 65.8 per 1,000 residents · typical 14Top 10%
Cardholders 68% of residents · typical 39%Higher than 86%
Spending $60 per resident · typical $40Higher than 73%
Fewer per residentMore per resident
Size group

Woodford County Library District serves 27,268 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 27 items go out

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

94K
visits
3.4 per resident
197K
loans, print + digital
7.2 per resident
1,795
programs & events
26K attended
19K
library cards
68% of people served
Every open hour27items borrowed
Every week505people at a program
Every day34Wi-Fi sessions
20 staff (full-time equivalent)41 public computers
What people borrow

41% of borrowing is digital

197K loans last year: print, kids’ and digital.

197Kloans
Books & media (adults) 27%Kids’ books & media 32%E-books, audio & streaming 41%
From your couch

81,184 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

Woodford County Library District, 115 North Main St., Versailles.

Directions(859) 873-5191
65
hours open a week
26,600
square feet
With a card

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

New in Versailles? 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 $1.92 worth

Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Versailles 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
0
Your card saves you about
$204
a year at retail prices · $17 a month

Who pays for it
$60 per resident a year

Typical for a library this size: $40. Operating budget $1.6M.

Local taxes 91%Gifts & other 9%

Last year the library lent and hosted about $3.2M worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $1.6M 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 18,640 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. Woodford County Library District serves 27,268 people in and around Versailles, so the yearly numbers cover all of them, not just Versailles.

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 Versailles

Does Versailles have a public library?

Yes. Woodford County Library District, 115 North Main St., serves 27,268 people in and around Versailles (the survey’s count) and is open about 65 hours a week, averaged over the year.

Is Woodford County Library District 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 Versailles’ library?

It logged 3.4 visits and lent 7.2 items per resident in 2024, against a typical 2.6 visits for libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people.

What is Versailles’ civic life grade?

A− Versailles is ahead of 76% of U.S. towns on civic life, #11 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 Versailles.

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.