Merrill’s library logs 4.2 visits per resident, against a typical 3 for libraries its size
Merrill District Library serves 3,152 people in and around Merrill. Last year it lent 6,222 print books and media and logged 13K visits.
The short version on Merrill’s library
Kids’ books are most of what goes out
Children’s books and media make up 98% of print loans. Per resident, kids’ borrowing is higher than at 58% of similar-size libraries. What people borrow ↓
Most programs are for young children
79% of the 112 programs last year were for ages 11 and under, including 15 for ages 0–5. Kids & programs ↓
Nearly everyone the system serves has a card
2,804 cards for 3,152 people, or 89%. At the typical library serving 2,500 to 10,000 people, it’s 42%. 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; Merrill District Library serves 3,152 people in and around Merrill, and its numbers cover all of them.
What’s behind Merrill’s civic life grade
Merrill 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 4 of 7 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people across the U.S.
Merrill District Library serves 3,152 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000.
Every hour the doors are open, about 4 items go out
Fiscal year 2024, for the whole Merrill District Library system. The library’s own count.
More than half the print loans are kids’ books
6,222 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
Merrill District Library, 321 West Saginaw Street, Merrill.
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 Merrill District Library branch.
New in Merrill? 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 Merrill cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $43. Operating budget $116K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $92K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $116K 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 2,804 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. Merrill District Library serves 3,152 people in and around Merrill, so the yearly numbers cover all of them, not just Merrill.
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 Merrill
Does Merrill have a public library?
Yes. Merrill District Library, 321 West Saginaw Street, serves 3,152 people in and around Merrill (the survey’s count) and is open about 29 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Merrill 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 Merrill’s library?
It logged 4.2 visits and lent 2.0 print items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3 visits for libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people.
What is Merrill’s civic life grade?
Merrill 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 Merrill.
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.