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Georgetown Township Public Library

Jenison’s library lends 9.9 print items per resident, against a typical 3.7 for libraries its size

Georgetown Township Public Library serves 54,091 people in and around Jenison. Last year it lent 677K books, movies and e-books and logged 198K visits.

1525 Baldwin Street, Jenison 49428 · about 63 hours a week
–Civic lifeNot graded: fewer than 1,000 residents
Borrowed a year
677K
12.5 per resident
Visits a year
198K
3.7 per resident · Above typical (2.6)
Programs & events
715
about 14 a week · 23K attended
Cardholders
40%
21,720 cards
Open
63 hrs
a week
In brief

Jenison’s library, in brief

More than half the print loans are for kids

Children’s books and media are 58% of print loans, and kids’ borrowing per resident is higher than at 93% of similar-size libraries. Kids & programs ↓

Jenison is a town of borrowers

Georgetown Township Public Library lends 9.9 print items per resident, against a typical 3.7 for libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people, more than 89% of similar-size libraries. Each item on the shelves went out about 3.7 times last year. What people borrow ↓

Georgetown Township Public Library serves more than Jenison

The library’s service area covers 54,091 people in and around Jenison, so its per-resident numbers are measured against that wider population. 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.

Civic life grade

What’s behind Jenison’s civic life grade

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

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

★ What stands out · Kids & programs

About 8 kids’ programs a week

Story times, clubs, classes and events, by who they’re for.

Schools in Jenison →

Programs last year by age group

Ages 0–5116
Ages 6–11277
Teens39
Adults283
All ages0
Little ones
2.2

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

310K
kids’ books & media borrowed
23K
people at programs
715
programs
How it compares

Ahead of most similar-size libraries on 6 of 8 measures

Per resident, against libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people across the U.S.

Visits per resident 3.7 visits · typical 2.6Higher than 71%
Borrowing per resident 9.9 print items · typical 3.7Higher than 89%
Digital borrowing 2.7 e-items · typical 1.2Higher than 83%
Kids’ borrowing 5.7 kids’ items · typical 1.7Top 10%
Program attendance 0.4 attendees · typical 0.3Higher than 65%
Programs offered 13.2 per 1,000 residents · typical 14Lower than 55%
Cardholders 40% of residents · typical 39%Higher than 51%
Spending $27 per resident · typical $40Lower than 68%
Fewer per residentMore per resident
Size group

Georgetown Township Public Library serves 54,091 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000.

A year at the library

Every hour the doors are open, about 207 items go out

Fiscal year 2024. The library’s own count.

198K
visits
3.7 per resident
677K
loans, print + digital
12.5 per resident
715
programs & events
23K attended
22K
library cards
40% of people served
Every open hour207items borrowed
Every week445people at a program
Every day63Wi-Fi sessions
18 staff (full-time equivalent)25 public computers145K books & media on the shelves
What people borrow

More than half the print loans are kids’ books

677K loans last year: print, kids’ and digital.

677Kloans
Books & media (adults) 33%Kids’ books & media 46%E-books, audio & streaming 21%
How hard the shelves work
3.7×

Each of the 145K books and other items on the shelves went out about 3.7 times last year, on average.

From your couch

144,125 e-books, e-audiobooks and streams last year. Borrow from home with your card, plus research databases: courses, journals, genealogy and more.

The building

Find it

Georgetown Township Public Library, 1525 Baldwin Street, Jenison.

63
hours open a week
31,000
square feet
145K
books & media
With a card

E-books and audiobooks from home. Loans renew on their own if no one’s waiting. Research databases: courses, journals, genealogy.

New in Jenison? 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 $6.75 worth

Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Jenison cardholder borrows.

In a month I’d use…
Books$17 each
1
Kids’ books$12 each
1
E-books & audio$15 each
1
Movies & music$4 each
0
Programs & classes$10 a program
0
Computer & Wi-Fi$3 a session
0
Your card saves you about
$528
a year at retail prices · $44 a month

Who pays for it
$27 per resident a year

Typical for a library this size: $40. Operating budget $1.5M.

Local taxes 93%State 4%Federal 0%Gifts & other 3%

Last year the library lent and hosted about $10M worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $1.5M 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 21,720 cardholders ÷ 12.

How to read these numbers

What this data can and can’t tell you

From the Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024.

  • The library’s own count. Libraries report their own visits, loans and programs. A library that didn’t respond keeps its address and hours here, with no numbers.

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 Jenison

Does Jenison have a public library?

Yes. Georgetown Township Public Library, 1525 Baldwin Street, serves 54,091 people in and around Jenison (the survey’s count) and is open about 63 hours a week, averaged over the year.

Is Georgetown Township Public 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 Jenison’s library?

It logged 3.7 visits and lent 12.5 items per resident in 2024, against a typical 2.6 visits for libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people.

What is Jenison’s civic life grade?

Jenison 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 Jenison.

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.