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Marks-Quitman County Public Library · part of Marks-Quitman County Library

Marks’ library is a branch of Marks-Quitman County Library, which lends less per resident than 96% of systems its size

Marks’s library is the Marks-Quitman County Public Library, a branch of Marks-Quitman County Library, which serves 5,546 people and lent 4,465 items last year.

315 East Main Street, Marks 38646 · about 40 hours a week
C+Civic lifeAhead of 43% of U.S. towns. Nonprofits and volunteering.
Directions (662) 326-7141 What’s a card worth?
Borrowed a year
4,465
0.8 per resident
Visits a year
6,021
1.1 per resident · Below typical (3)
Programs & events
4
about 1 a week · 98 attended
Cardholders
60%
3,324 cards
Open
40 hrs
a week at this branch
In brief

What Marks’s library is like

The Marks-Quitman County Library system is used less than most libraries its size

The Marks-Quitman County Library system records 1.1 visits per resident, against a typical 3 for libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people. Borrowing is 0.5 print items per resident, against a typical 3.8. It also spends less than most: $26 per resident, against a typical $43. How it compares ↓

Few programs for a library this size

The Marks-Quitman County Library system offered 4 programs last year, 0.7 per 1,000 residents against a typical 34. Kids & programs ↓

Mississippi pays a big share

22% of the budget comes from the state, and 67% from local taxes. Nationally, most library money is local. What your card is worth ↓

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; Marks’s library is a branch of Marks-Quitman County Library, so they cover the whole system (5,546 people), not just the Marks branch.

Civic life grade

What’s behind Marks’ civic life grade

On community nonprofits and volunteering, Marks is ahead of 43% of U.S. towns. Marks is graded on two of the three inputs. Marks’ count of community nonprofits holds the grade up; the share of younger adults in volunteering groups pulls it down.

C+
Civic lifeA character grade: shown, never part of Marks’ overall grade.
–Library visitsServed by a county or regional system, so there is no town figureACommunity nonprofits8.7 per 1,000 residents · MS towns 2.8 · U.S. 3.7D−Volunteering2.3% of adults 25–44 · MS towns 4.4% · U.S. 7.5%
All U.S. towns we grade (17,556)Ahead of 43%
FewerMore
U.S. towns with similar incomes, $24K–$40K (651)Ahead of 69%

Among U.S. towns with similar household incomes ($24K–$40K) it does better, ahead of 69%.

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.

How sure. Graded on two inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. Marks is small (1,198 residents), so a few dozen organizations or visits move its per-resident figures; the volunteering share is a 2022 estimate from Facebook users aged 25–44.

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 →

Places to belong

12 community nonprofits are registered in Marks

8.7 per 1,000 residents, against a U.S. town median of 3.7. The largest group: civic groups, clubs & veterans.

Community nonprofits, by kind

Arts & culture00.00 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.24
Youth, sports & recreation21.45 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.52
Civic groups, clubs & veterans32.18 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.74
Human services21.45 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.59
Education32.18 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.43
Health00.00 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.16
Environment & animals00.00 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.17
Other21.45 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.47

Counted from the IRS list of tax-exempt organizations by mailing address (fractions where a ZIP code spans towns). Congregations are counted apart (8 here), since whether a church registers depends on its denomination, not the town.

Volunteering

2.3%

2.3% of Marks’ 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 Marks’ residents live; 2022.

How it compares

Ahead of most similar-size libraries on 1 of 8 measures

Per resident, against libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people across the U.S.

Visits per resident 1.1 visits · typical 3Lower than 87%
Borrowing per resident 0.5 print items · typical 3.8Bottom 10%
Digital borrowing 0.3 e-items · typical 1Lower than 80%
Kids’ borrowing 0.2 kids’ items · typical 1.6Bottom 10%
Program attendance 0 attendees · typical 0.5Bottom 10%
Programs offered 0.7 per 1,000 residents · typical 34Bottom 10%
Cardholders 60% of residents · typical 42%Higher than 72%
Spending $26 per resident · typical $43Lower than 76%
Fewer per residentMore per resident
Size group

Marks-Quitman County Library serves 5,546 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000.

A year at the library

Every hour the doors are open, about 2 items go out

Fiscal year 2024, for the whole Marks-Quitman County Library system. The library’s own count.

6,021
visits
1.1 per resident
4,465
loans, print + digital
0.8 per resident
4
programs & events
98 attended
3,324
library cards
60% of people served
Every open hour2items borrowed
Every week2people at a program
Every day43Wi-Fi sessions
2 staff (full-time equivalent)10 public computers
What people borrow

Mostly books and media off the shelf

4,465 loans last year: print, kids’ and digital.

4,465loans
Books & media (adults) 37%Kids’ books & media 27%E-books, audio & streaming 36%
From your couch

1,594 e-books, e-audiobooks and streams last year. Borrow from home with your card.

Kids & programs

4 programs a year

Story times, clubs, classes and events, across the whole system, by who they’re for.

Schools in Marks →

Programs last year by age group

Ages 0–50
Ages 6–114
Teens0
Adults0
All ages0
1,205
kids’ books & media borrowed
98
people at programs
4
programs
The building

Find it

Marks-Quitman County Public Library, 315 East Main Street, Marks.

Directions(662) 326-7141
40
hours open a week
4,355
square feet
With a card

E-books and audiobooks from home. Good at every Marks-Quitman County Library branch.

New in Marks? The Handbook →

Hours are the survey’s yearly average. Check the library’s own site for today’s hours.

What your card is worth

What a library card is worth

Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Marks cardholder borrows.

In a month I’d use…
Books$17 each
1
Kids’ books$12 each
0
E-books & audio$15 each
0
Movies & music$4 each
0
Programs & classes$10 a program
0
Computer & Wi-Fi$3 a session
0
Your card saves you about
$204
a year at retail prices · $17 a month

Who pays for it
$26 per resident a year

Typical for a library this size: $43. Operating budget $145K.

Local taxes 67%State 22%Federal 6%Gifts & other 4%

Last year the library lent and hosted about $114K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $145K 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 3,324 cardholders ÷ 12.

How to read these numbers

What this data can and can’t tell you

From the Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024.

  • System-wide. Marks-Quitman County Public Library is one branch of Marks-Quitman County Library, so the yearly numbers cover every branch and all 5,546 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 Marks

Does Marks have a public library?

Yes: Marks-Quitman County Public Library, 315 East Main Street, is a branch of Marks-Quitman County Library, which serves 5,546 people. The branch is open about 40 hours a week, averaged over the year.

Is Marks-Quitman 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 Marks’ library?

It logged 1.1 visits and lent 0.8 items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3 visits for libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people.

What is Marks’ civic life grade?

C+ Marks is ahead of 43% 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 Marks.

Town Square →
Start a conversation

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.