Photo: Jared Winkler · CC BY-SA 4.0Heron Lake’s library is a branch of Jackson County Library, which lends more per resident than 68% of systems its size
Heron Lake’s library is the Heron Lake Public Library, a branch of Jackson County Library, which serves 9,917 people and lent 62K items last year.
The short version on Heron Lake’s library
Open only about 20 hours a week
The Heron Lake branch keeps short hours: about 20 a week, averaged over the year, so check its schedule before you go. The building ↓
Most programs are for young children
78% of the 758 programs last year were for ages 11 and under, including about 6.3 a week for ages 0–5. 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; Heron Lake’s library is a branch of Jackson County Library, so they cover the whole system (9,917 people), not just the Heron Lake branch.
What’s behind Heron Lake’s civic life grade
Heron Lake 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 →
About 11 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.
Ahead of most similar-size libraries on 6 of 8 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people across the U.S.
Jackson County Library serves 9,917 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000.
Every hour the doors are open, about 12 items go out
Fiscal year 2024, for the whole Jackson County Library system. The library’s own count.
Almost half the print loans are kids’ books
62K loans last year: print, kids’ and digital.
8,280 e-books, e-audiobooks and streams last year. Borrow from home with your card, plus research databases: courses, journals, genealogy and more.
Find it
Heron Lake Public Library, 401 9th Street, Heron Lake.
No late fees. E-books and audiobooks from home. Research databases: courses, journals, genealogy. Good at every Jackson County Library branch.
New in Heron Lake? The Handbook →Hours are the survey’s yearly average. Check the library’s own site for today’s hours.
For every $1 it spends, the library lends about $1.68 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Heron Lake cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $43. Operating budget $622K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $1M worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $622K 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 4,097 cardholders ÷ 12.
Libraries next door
Who has a library of their own, and how much each town borrows. Tap a town to see its library.
| Town | Library | Loans per resident | Hours | Civic life |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heron Lake | Heron Lake Public Library fine-free | — | 20 | — under 1,000 residents |
| Weimer Township | None of its own | — | — | — under 1,000 residents |
Loans = print + digital items borrowed in the library’s fiscal year, per person it serves. — = no library of its own, a county or regional system (its numbers cover many towns), or no report. Civic life: — = not graded (unincorporated places, whose nonprofits can’t be placed by mailing address, or towns with fewer than two of the three inputs).
What this data can and can’t tell you
From the Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024.
- System-wide. Heron Lake Public Library is one branch of Jackson County Library, so the yearly numbers cover every branch and all 9,917 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 Heron Lake
Does Heron Lake have a public library?
Yes: Heron Lake Public Library, 401 9th Street, is a branch of Jackson County Library, which serves 9,917 people. The branch is open about 20 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Jackson County 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 Heron Lake’s library?
It logged 3.6 visits and lent 6.2 items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3 visits for libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people.
What is Heron Lake’s civic life grade?
Heron Lake 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 Heron Lake.
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.