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Dry Prong Branch · part of Grant Parish Library

Dry Prong’s library is a branch of Grant Parish Library, which lends more per resident than 51% of systems its size

Dry Prong’s library is the Dry Prong Branch, a branch of Grant Parish Library, which serves 22,109 people and lent 98K items last year.

605 Russell Hataway Street, Dry Prong 71423 · about 20 hours a week
–Civic lifeNot graded: fewer than 1,000 residents
Borrowed a year
98K
4.5 per resident
Visits a year
15K
0.7 per resident · Below typical (3.1)
Programs & events
483
about 9 a week · 3,950 attended
Cardholders
25%
5,578 cards
Open
20 hrs
a week at this branch
In brief

Dry Prong’s library, in brief

Open only about 20 hours a week

The Dry Prong branch keeps short hours: about 20 a week, averaged over the year, so check its schedule before you go. The building ↓

Fewer visits than most libraries its size

The Grant Parish Library system records 0.7 visits per resident, against a typical 3.1 for libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000 people, below 95% of similar-size libraries. Borrowing holds up better, at 4 print items per resident. How it compares ↓

Most programs are for young children

65% of the 483 programs last year were for ages 11 and under, including about 2.8 a week for ages 0–5. 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; Dry Prong’s library is a branch of Grant Parish Library, so they cover the whole system (22,109 people), not just the Dry Prong branch.

Civic life grade

What’s behind Dry Prong’s civic life grade

Dry Prong isn’t graded on civic life: TownRatings grades towns of 1,000 residents or more.

–
Civic lifeA character grade: shown, never part of Dry Prong’s overall grade.

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 →

How it compares

Ahead of most similar-size libraries on 1 of 8 measures

Per resident, against libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000 people across the U.S.

Visits per resident 0.7 visits · typical 3.1Bottom 10%
Borrowing per resident 4 print items · typical 3.9Higher than 51%
Digital borrowing 0.5 e-items · typical 1.1Lower than 78%
Kids’ borrowing 1.4 kids’ items · typical 1.8Lower than 60%
Program attendance 0.2 attendees · typical 0.4Lower than 82%
Programs offered 21.8 per 1,000 residents · typical 24Lower than 54%
Cardholders 25% of residents · typical 40%Lower than 77%
Spending $32 per resident · typical $43Lower than 66%
Fewer per residentMore per resident
Size group

Grant Parish Library serves 22,109 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000.

A year at the library

Every hour the doors are open, about 14 items go out

Fiscal year 2024, for the whole Grant Parish Library system. The library’s own count.

15K
visits
0.7 per resident
98K
loans, print + digital
4.5 per resident
483
programs & events
3,950 attended
5,578
library cards
25% of people served
Every open hour14items borrowed
Every week76people at a program
Every day15Wi-Fi sessions
11 staff (full-time equivalent)19 public computers
What people borrow

Mostly books and media off the shelf

98K loans last year: print, kids’ and digital.

98Kloans
Books & media (adults) 59%Kids’ books & media 31%E-books, audio & streaming 10%
From your couch

9,954 e-books, e-audiobooks and streams last year. Borrow from home with your card, plus research databases: courses, journals, genealogy and more.

Kids & programs

About 6 kids’ programs a week

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

Schools in Dry Prong →

Programs last year by age group

Ages 0–5145
Ages 6–11170
Teens49
Adults28
All ages91
Little ones
2.8

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

30K
kids’ books & media borrowed
3,950
people at programs
483
programs
The building

Find it

Dry Prong Branch, 605 Russell Hataway Street, Dry Prong.

20
hours open a week
1,216
square feet
With a card

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

New in Dry Prong? 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 $2.18 worth

Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Dry Prong 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
$32 per resident a year

Typical for a library this size: $43. Operating budget $713K.

Local taxes 95%State 4%Gifts & other 1%

Last year the library lent and hosted about $1.6M worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $713K 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 5,578 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. Dry Prong Branch is one branch of Grant Parish Library, so the yearly numbers cover every branch and all 22,109 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 Dry Prong

Does Dry Prong have a public library?

Yes: Dry Prong Branch, 605 Russell Hataway Street, is a branch of Grant Parish Library, which serves 22,109 people. The branch is open about 20 hours a week, averaged over the year.

Is Grant 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 Dry Prong’s library?

It logged 0.7 visits and lent 4.5 items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3.1 visits for libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000 people.

What is Dry Prong’s civic life grade?

Dry Prong 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 Dry Prong.

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.