Photo: SamuelNelsonGISP · CC BY-SA 4.0Tarkio’s library is a branch of Atchison County Library, which lends more per resident than 61% of systems its size
Tarkio’s library is the Tarkio Branch, a branch of Atchison County Library, which serves 5,305 people and lent 47K items last year.
Tarkio’s library, in brief
Programs are almost all for children
94% of the 62 programs last year were for ages 11 and under, including 14 for ages 0–5. Kids & programs ↓
46% of borrowing happens on a screen
E-books, e-audiobooks and streaming make up 46% of loans, more per resident than at 94% of similar-size libraries. Print still makes up 54%, much of it kids’ books. 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; Tarkio’s library is a branch of Atchison County Library, so they cover the whole system (5,305 people), not just the Tarkio branch.
What’s behind Tarkio’s civic life grade
On community nonprofits and volunteering, Tarkio is ahead of 98% of U.S. towns. Tarkio is graded on two of the three inputs. Both inputs are above most U.S. towns; Tarkio’s count of community nonprofits ranks highest.
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 →
19 community nonprofits are registered in Tarkio
12.9 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 (5 here), since whether a church registers depends on its denomination, not the town.
11.2%
11.2% of Tarkio’s Facebook users aged 25–44 belong to a volunteering or activism group, against 9.3% in the typical Missouri 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 Tarkio’s residents live; 2022.
46% of borrowing is digital
47K loans last year: print, kids’ and digital.
21,439 e-books, e-audiobooks and streams last year. Borrow from home with your card, plus research databases: courses, journals, genealogy and more.
Ahead of most similar-size libraries on 5 of 8 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people across the U.S.
Atchison County Library serves 5,305 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000.
Every hour the doors are open, about 9 items go out
Fiscal year 2024, for the whole Atchison County Library system. The library’s own count.
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
Tarkio Branch, 405 1/2 S 11th St., Tarkio.
E-books and audiobooks from home. Research databases: courses, journals, genealogy. Good at every Atchison County Library branch.
New in Tarkio? 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 $2.02 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Tarkio cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $43. Operating budget $356K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $719K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $356K 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 4,080 cardholders ÷ 12.
What this data can and can’t tell you
From the Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024.
- System-wide. Tarkio Branch is one branch of Atchison County Library, so the yearly numbers cover every branch and all 5,305 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 Tarkio
Does Tarkio have a public library?
Yes: Tarkio Branch, 405 1/2 S 11th St., is a branch of Atchison County Library, which serves 5,305 people. The branch is open about 26 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Atchison County 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 Tarkio’s library?
It logged 2.6 visits and lent 8.8 items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3 visits for libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people.
What is Tarkio’s civic life grade?
A+ Tarkio is ahead of 98% 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 Tarkio.
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.