Charles H. Calkins House · Photo: kennethaw88 · CC BY 4.0Perry’s library is a branch of Community District Library, which lends less per resident than 93% of systems its size
Perry’s library is the Bentley Memorial Library of Perry, a branch of Community District Library, which serves 26,969 people and lent 19K items last year.
Perry’s library, in brief
Kids’ books are most of what goes out
Children’s books and media make up 96% of print loans. Per resident, kids’ borrowing is lower than at 78% 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 25,000 to 100,000 people, the Community District Library system sits below the middle on all six per-resident measures we compare, and in the bottom 30% on five. How it compares ↓
Few programs for a library this size
The Community District Library system offered 140 programs last year, 5.2 per 1,000 residents against a typical 14. Kids & programs ↓
Few residents carry a card
Only 16% of the people the system serves have a library card, against a typical 39% for its size. How it compares ↓
People visit, but borrow less than most
The Community District Library system lends 0.7 print items per resident, against a typical 3.7 for libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people, fewer than 93% of similar-size libraries, though visits are closer to typical. 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; Perry’s library is a branch of Community District Library, so they cover the whole system (26,969 people), not just the Perry branch.
What’s behind Perry’s civic life grade
On community nonprofits and volunteering, Perry is ahead of 57% of U.S. towns. Perry is graded on two of the three inputs. The share of younger adults in volunteering groups holds the grade up; Perry’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 Perry
2.9 per 1,000 residents, against a U.S. town median of 3.7. The largest group: arts & culture.
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 (2 here), since whether a church registers depends on its denomination, not the town.
9.9%
9.9% of Perry’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 Perry’s residents live; 2022.
Below most similar-size libraries on all 7 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people across the U.S.
Community District Library serves 26,969 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000.
Every hour the doors are open, about 2 items go out
Fiscal year 2024, for the whole Community District Library system. The library’s own count.
More than half the print loans are kids’ books
19K 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 1 kids’ program 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
Bentley Memorial Library of Perry, 135 South Main Street, Perry.
No late fees. E-books and audiobooks from home. Research databases: courses, journals, genealogy. Good at every Community District Library branch.
New in Perry? 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 Perry cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $40. Operating budget $783K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $253K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $783K 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 4,200 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. Bentley Memorial Library of Perry is one branch of Community District Library, so the yearly numbers cover every branch and all 26,969 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 Perry
Does Perry have a public library?
Yes: Bentley Memorial Library of Perry, 135 South Main Street, is a branch of Community District Library, which serves 26,969 people. The branch is open about 42 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Community 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 Perry’s library?
It logged 2.5 visits and lent 0.7 print items per resident in 2024, against a typical 2.6 visits for libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people.
What is Perry’s civic life grade?
B Perry is ahead of 57% 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 Perry.
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.