Photo: JonathanTheLibrarian · CC BY-SA 4.0Collins’ library is a branch of Covington County Library System, which lends less per resident than 94% of systems its size
Collins’s library is the R. E. Blackwell Memorial Library, a branch of Covington County Library System, which serves 18,059 people and lent 13K items last year.
What Collins’s library is like
The Covington County Library System is used less than most libraries its size
The Covington County Library System records 1.1 visits per resident, against a typical 3.1 for libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000 people. Borrowing is 0.7 print items per resident, against a typical 3.9. It also spends less than most: $20 per resident, against a typical $43. How it compares ↓
Programs are almost all for children
94% of the 115 programs last year were for ages 11 and under, including 6 for ages 0–5. Kids & programs ↓
Few programs for a library this size
The Covington County Library System offered 115 programs last year, 6.4 per 1,000 residents against a typical 24. Kids & programs ↓
Few residents carry a card
Only 17% of the people the system serves have a library card, against a typical 40% for its size. 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; Collins’s library is a branch of Covington County Library System, so they cover the whole system (18,059 people), not just the Collins branch.
What’s behind Collins’ civic life grade
On community nonprofits and volunteering, Collins is ahead of 14% of U.S. towns. Collins is graded on two of the three inputs. Both inputs sit below most U.S. towns; the share of younger adults in volunteering groups comes closest to the middle.
Covington County Library System spends $20 per resident, against a typical $43 for libraries its size.
Most U.S. towns with similar household incomes ($28K–$47K) 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 →
5 community nonprofits are registered in Collins
2.0 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 (3 here), since whether a church registers depends on its denomination, not the town.
6.4%
6.4% of Collins’ 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 Collins’ residents live; 2022.
Below most similar-size libraries on all 7 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000 people across the U.S.
Covington County Library System serves 18,059 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000.
Every hour the doors are open, about 2 items go out
Fiscal year 2024, for the whole Covington County Library System system. The library’s own count.
Almost half the print loans are kids’ books
13K print loans last year. The library didn’t report its e-book and e-audiobook loans.
Borrow from home with your card.
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
R. E. Blackwell Memorial Library, 403 South Fir Avenue, Collins.
No late fees. E-books and audiobooks from home. Good at every Covington County Library System branch.
New in Collins? 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 Collins cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $43. Operating budget $356K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $257K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $356K 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 3,057 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. R. E. Blackwell Memorial Library is one branch of Covington County Library System, so the yearly numbers cover every branch and all 18,059 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 Collins
Does Collins have a public library?
Yes: R. E. Blackwell Memorial Library, 403 South Fir Avenue, is a branch of Covington County Library System, which serves 18,059 people. The branch is open about 49 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Covington County Library System fine-free? Does it lend e-books?
Yes to both: no late fees, and e-books, audiobooks with a card (the library’s 2024 survey report).
How busy is Collins’ library?
It logged 1.1 visits and lent 0.7 print items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3.1 visits for libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000 people.
What is Collins’ civic life grade?
D Collins 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 Collins.
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.