Photo: Chillin662 · CC BY-SA 4.0Ackerman’s library is a branch of Choctaw County Library System, which lends less per resident than 91% of systems its size
Ackerman’s library is the Choctaw County Public Library, a branch of Choctaw County Library System, which serves 8,088 people and lent 8,861 items last year.
Ackerman’s library, in brief
The Choctaw County Library System is used less than most libraries its size
The Choctaw County Library System records 1 visits per resident, against a typical 3 for libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people. Borrowing is 0.9 print items per resident, against a typical 3.8. It also spends less than most: $23 per resident, against a typical $43. How it compares ↓
Gifts and endowments pay a real share
34% of the system’s income comes from gifts, endowments, fees and other sources, not taxes. Local taxes cover 52%. What your card is worth ↓
Programs lean toward adults
50% of the 144 programs last year were for adults: classes, talks, clubs and events. 53 were for children. 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; Ackerman’s library is a branch of Choctaw County Library System, so they cover the whole system (8,088 people), not just the Ackerman branch.
What’s behind Ackerman’s civic life grade
On community nonprofits and volunteering, Ackerman is ahead of 14% of U.S. towns. Ackerman is graded on two of the three inputs. Both inputs sit below most U.S. towns; Ackerman’s count of community nonprofits comes closest to the middle.
Choctaw County Library System spends $23 per resident, against a typical $43 for libraries its size.
Most U.S. towns with similar household incomes ($36K–$60K) score higher, so income alone doesn’t account for it.
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 →
4 community nonprofits are registered in Ackerman
2.5 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 (2 here), since whether a church registers depends on its denomination, not the town.
5.8%
5.8% of Ackerman’s Facebook users aged 25–44 belong to a volunteering or activism group, against 4.4% in the typical Mississippi 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 Ackerman’s residents live; 2022.
Below most similar-size libraries on all 8 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people across the U.S.
Choctaw County Library System serves 8,088 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 Choctaw County Library System system. The library’s own count.
Mostly books and media off the shelf
8,861 loans last year: print, kids’ and digital.
1,622 e-books, e-audiobooks and streams last year. 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
Choctaw County Public Library, 511 South Louisville Street, Ackerman.
E-books and audiobooks from home. Research databases: courses, journals, genealogy. Good at every Choctaw County Library System branch.
New in Ackerman? 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 Ackerman cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $43. Operating budget $185K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $174K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $185K 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 2,067 cardholders ÷ 12.
What this data can and can’t tell you
From the Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024.
- System-wide. Choctaw County Public Library is one branch of Choctaw County Library System, so the yearly numbers cover every branch and all 8,088 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 Ackerman
Does Ackerman have a public library?
Yes: Choctaw County Public Library, 511 South Louisville Street, is a branch of Choctaw County Library System, which serves 8,088 people. The branch is open about 39 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Choctaw County Library System 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 Ackerman’s library?
It logged 1.0 visits and lent 1.1 items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3 visits for libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people.
What is Ackerman’s civic life grade?
D Ackerman is ahead of 14% 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 Ackerman.
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.