Chataignier’s library is a branch of Evangeline Parish Library, which lends less per resident than 88% of systems its size
Chataignier’s library is the Chataignier Branch, a branch of Evangeline Parish Library, which serves 31,745 people and lent 63K items last year.
Chataignier’s library, in brief
Four times the programs of a typical library its size
The Evangeline Parish Library system ran 1,880 programs last year, about 36 a week. That’s 59 per 1,000 residents, against a typical 14. Kids & programs ↓
46% of borrowing happens on a screen
E-books, e-audiobooks and streaming make up 46% of loans. That’s partly because print borrowing is low: digital loans per resident are below typical too. What people borrow ↓
Programs lean toward adults
69% of the 1,880 programs last year were for adults: classes, talks, clubs and events. 359 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; Chataignier’s library is a branch of Evangeline Parish Library, so they cover the whole system (31,745 people), not just the Chataignier branch.
What’s behind Chataignier’s civic life grade
Chataignier 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 7 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 4 of 8 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people across the U.S.
Evangeline Parish Library serves 31,745 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000.
Every hour the doors are open, about 5 items go out
Fiscal year 2024, for the whole Evangeline Parish Library system. The library’s own count.
46% of borrowing is digital
63K loans last year: print, kids’ and digital.
29,050 e-books, e-audiobooks and streams last year. Borrow from home with your card, plus research databases: courses, journals, genealogy and more.
Find it
Chataignier Branch, 111 N. 1st Street, Chataignier.
No late fees. E-books and audiobooks from home. Research databases: courses, journals, genealogy. Good at every Evangeline Parish Library branch.
New in Chataignier? The Handbook →Hours are the survey’s yearly average. Check the library’s own site for today’s hours.
What a library card is worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Chataignier cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $40. Operating budget $1.8M.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $1.2M worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $1.8M 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 23,541 cardholders ÷ 12.
What this data can and can’t tell you
From the Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024.
- System-wide. Chataignier Branch is one branch of Evangeline Parish Library, so the yearly numbers cover every branch and all 31,745 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 Chataignier
Does Chataignier have a public library?
Yes: Chataignier Branch, 111 N. 1st Street, is a branch of Evangeline Parish Library, which serves 31,745 people. The branch is open about 45 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Evangeline Parish 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 Chataignier’s library?
It logged 1.5 visits and lent 2.0 items per resident in 2024, against a typical 2.6 visits for libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people.
What is Chataignier’s civic life grade?
Chataignier 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 Chataignier.
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.