Mer Rouge’s library is a branch of Morehouse Parish Library, which lends less per resident than 96% of systems its size
Mer Rouge’s library is the Mer Rouge, a branch of Morehouse Parish Library, which serves 23,787 people and lent 14K items last year.
Mer Rouge’s library, in brief
Open only about 8 hours a week
The Mer Rouge branch keeps short hours: about 8 a week, averaged over the year, so check its schedule before you go. The building ↓
Few programs for a library this size
The Morehouse Parish Library system offered 9 programs last year, 0.4 per 1,000 residents against a typical 24. Kids & programs ↓
People visit, but borrow less than most
The Morehouse Parish Library system lends 0.6 print items per resident, against a typical 3.9 for libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000 people, fewer than 96% of similar-size libraries, though visits are closer to typical. What people borrow ↓
Almost all the borrowing is off the shelf
Only 0% of loans are e-books, audiobooks or streaming, fewer per resident than at 99% 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; Mer Rouge’s library is a branch of Morehouse Parish Library, so they cover the whole system (23,787 people), not just the Mer Rouge branch.
What’s behind Mer Rouge’s civic life grade
Mer Rouge 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 →
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.
Morehouse Parish Library serves 23,787 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000.
Every hour the doors are open, about 5 items go out
Fiscal year 2024, for the whole Morehouse Parish Library system. The library’s own count.
Mostly books and media off the shelf
14K loans last year: print, kids’ and digital.
Borrow from home with your card, plus research databases: courses, journals, genealogy and more.
9 programs a year
Story times, clubs, classes and events, across the whole system, by who they’re for.
Programs last year by age group
Find it
Mer Rouge, 107 South 16th Street, Mer Rouge.
E-books and audiobooks from home. Research databases: courses, journals, genealogy. Good at every Morehouse Parish Library branch.
New in Mer Rouge? 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 Mer Rouge cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $43. Operating budget $507K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $229K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $507K 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 16,895 cardholders ÷ 12.
What this data can and can’t tell you
From the Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024.
- System-wide. Mer Rouge is one branch of Morehouse Parish Library, so the yearly numbers cover every branch and all 23,787 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 Mer Rouge
Does Mer Rouge have a public library?
Yes: Mer Rouge, 107 South 16th Street, is a branch of Morehouse Parish Library, which serves 23,787 people. The branch is open about 8 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Morehouse Parish 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 Mer Rouge’s library?
It logged 2.1 visits and lent 0.6 items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3.1 visits for libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000 people.
What is Mer Rouge’s civic life grade?
Mer Rouge 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 Mer Rouge.
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.