Harrison’s library lends 0.6 print items per resident, against a typical 3.9 for libraries its size
Harrison District Library serves 12,805 people in and around Harrison. Last year it lent 7,048 print books and media and logged 33K visits.
Harrison’s library, in brief
Kids’ books are most of what goes out
Children’s books and media make up 100% of print loans. Per resident, kids’ borrowing is lower than at 83% of similar-size libraries, so the high share mostly reflects light borrowing by adults. What people borrow ↓
Below typical on every measure
Against libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000 people, Harrison District Library sits below the middle on all six per-resident measures we compare, and in the bottom 30% on four. How it compares ↓
Gifts and endowments pay a real share
41% of the system’s income comes from gifts, endowments, fees and other sources, not taxes. Local taxes cover 57%. What your card is worth ↓
People visit, but borrow less than most
Harrison District Library lends 0.6 print items per resident, against a typical 3.9 for libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000 people, fewer than 97% of similar-size libraries, though visits are closer to typical. What people borrow ↓
Programs lean toward adults
56% of the 179 programs last year were for adults: classes, talks, clubs and events. 78 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; Harrison District Library serves 12,805 people in and around Harrison, and its numbers cover all of them.
What’s behind Harrison’s civic life grade
On community nonprofits and volunteering, Harrison is ahead of 63% of U.S. towns. Harrison is graded on two of the three inputs. The share of younger adults in volunteering groups holds the grade up; Harrison’s count of community nonprofits pulls it down.
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 →
6 community nonprofits are registered in Harrison
2.6 per 1,000 residents, against a U.S. town median of 3.7. The largest group: civic groups, clubs & veterans.
Community nonprofits, by kind
Counted from the IRS list of tax-exempt organizations by mailing address (fractions where a ZIP code spans towns). Congregations are counted apart (0 here), since whether a church registers depends on its denomination, not the town.
12.4%
12.4% of Harrison’s Facebook users aged 25–44 belong to a volunteering or activism group, against 12.4% in the typical Michigan 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 Harrison’s residents live; 2022.
Below most similar-size libraries on all 7 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000 people across the U.S.
Harrison District Library serves 12,805 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000.
Every hour the doors are open, about 3 items go out
Fiscal year 2024, for the whole Harrison District Library system. The library’s own count.
More than half the print loans are kids’ books
7,048 print loans last year. The library didn’t report its e-book and e-audiobook loans.
Borrow from home with your card, plus research databases: courses, journals, genealogy and more.
About 2 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.
Find it
Harrison District Library, 125 W. Beech Street, Harrison.
No late fees. E-books and audiobooks from home. Loans renew on their own if no one’s waiting. Research databases: courses, journals, genealogy. Good at every Harrison District Library branch.
New in Harrison? 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 Harrison cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $43. Operating budget $532K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $126K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $532K 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 4,628 cardholders ÷ 12.
What this data can and can’t tell you
From the Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024.
- Digital loans not reported. The library didn’t report e-book loans, so borrowing here is print only.
- System-wide. Harrison District Library serves 12,805 people in and around Harrison, so the yearly numbers cover all of them, not just Harrison.
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 Harrison
Does Harrison have a public library?
Yes. Harrison District Library, 125 W. Beech Street, serves 12,805 people in and around Harrison (the survey’s count) and is open about 46 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Harrison District 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 Harrison’s library?
It logged 2.5 visits and lent 0.6 print items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3.1 visits for libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000 people.
What is Harrison’s civic life grade?
B Harrison is ahead of 63% of U.S. towns on civic life. 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 Harrison.
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.