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Hickory Springs Methodist Episcopal ChurchHickory Springs Methodist Episcopal Church · Photo: Donna Fricker · Public domain
Sikes Branch · part of Winn Parish Library

Sikes’ library is a branch of Winn Parish Library, which lends less per resident than 68% of systems its size

Sikes’s library is the Sikes Branch, a branch of Winn Parish Library, which serves 13,405 people and lent 46K items last year.

125 Fifth Street, Sikes 71473 · about 24 hours a week
–Civic lifeNot graded: fewer than 1,000 residents
Borrowed a year
46K
3.5 per resident
Visits a year
26K
1.9 per resident · Below typical (3.1)
Programs & events
499
about 10 a week · 5,422 attended
Cardholders
87%
11,699 cards
Open
24 hrs
a week at this branch
In brief

The short version on Sikes’s library

Programs are almost all for children

81% of the 499 programs last year were for ages 11 and under, including 0 for ages 0–5. Kids & programs ↓

Nearly everyone the system serves has a card

11,699 cards for 13,405 people, or 87%. At the typical library serving 10,000 to 25,000 people, it’s 40%. How it compares ↓

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; Sikes’s library is a branch of Winn Parish Library, so they cover the whole system (13,405 people), not just the Sikes branch.

Civic life grade

What’s behind Sikes’ civic life grade

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

–
Civic lifeA character grade: shown, never part of Sikes’ 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 →

★ What stands out · How it compares

Ahead of most similar-size libraries on 3 of 8 measures

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

Visits per resident 1.9 visits · typical 3.1Lower than 71%
Borrowing per resident 2.6 print items · typical 3.9Lower than 68%
Digital borrowing 0.9 e-items · typical 1.1Lower than 57%
Kids’ borrowing 1.3 kids’ items · typical 1.8Lower than 61%
Program attendance 0.4 attendees · typical 0.4Lower than 53%
Programs offered 37.2 per 1,000 residents · typical 24Higher than 73%
Cardholders 87% of residents · typical 40%Top 10%
Spending $50 per resident · typical $43Higher than 59%
Fewer per residentMore per resident
Size group

Winn Parish Library serves 13,405 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 6 items go out

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

26K
visits
1.9 per resident
46K
loans, print + digital
3.5 per resident
499
programs & events
5,422 attended
12K
library cards
87% of people served
Every open hour6items borrowed
Every week104people at a program
Every day30Wi-Fi sessions
10 staff (full-time equivalent)28 public computers
What people borrow

More than half the print loans are kids’ books

46K loans last year: print, kids’ and digital.

46Kloans
Books & media (adults) 35%Kids’ books & media 39%E-books, audio & streaming 26%
From your couch

11,991 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 8 kids’ programs a week

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

Schools in Sikes →

Programs last year by age group

Ages 0–50
Ages 6–11403
Teens24
Adults72
All ages0
18K
kids’ books & media borrowed
5,422
people at programs
499
programs
The building

Find it

Sikes Branch, 125 Fifth Street, Sikes.

24
hours open a week
768
square feet
With a card

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

New in Sikes? 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 $1.14 worth

Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Sikes 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
$50 per resident a year

Typical for a library this size: $43. Operating budget $669K.

Local taxes 93%State 5%Gifts & other 2%

Last year the library lent and hosted about $759K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $669K 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 11,699 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. Sikes Branch is one branch of Winn Parish Library, so the yearly numbers cover every branch and all 13,405 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 Sikes

Does Sikes have a public library?

Yes: Sikes Branch, 125 Fifth Street, is a branch of Winn Parish Library, which serves 13,405 people. The branch is open about 24 hours a week, averaged over the year.

Is Winn 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 Sikes’ library?

It logged 1.9 visits and lent 3.5 items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3.1 visits for libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000 people.

What is Sikes’ civic life grade?

Sikes 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 Sikes.

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.