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View of Main Street, Seminary, Mississippi, 2011Photo: Nlsanfor · CC BY-SA 3.0
Conner Graham Memorial Library · part of Covington County Library System

Seminary’s library is a branch of Covington County Library System, which lends less per resident than 94% of systems its size

Seminary’s library is the Conner Graham Memorial Library, a branch of Covington County Library System, which serves 18,059 people and lent 13K items last year.

100 Willow Street, Seminary 39479 · about 45 hours a week
–Civic lifeNot graded: fewer than 1,000 residents
Borrowed a year
13K
0.7 per resident
Visits a year
19K
1.1 per resident · Below typical (3.1)
Programs & events
115
about 2 a week · 1,813 attended
Cardholders
17%
3,057 cards
Open
45 hrs
a week at this branch
In brief

What Seminary’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; Seminary’s library is a branch of Covington County Library System, so they cover the whole system (18,059 people), not just the Seminary branch.

Civic life grade

What’s behind Seminary’s civic life grade

Seminary isn’t graded on civic life: TownRatings grades towns of 1,000 residents or more.

–
Civic lifeA character grade: shown, never part of Seminary’s overall grade.

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 →

How it compares

Below most similar-size libraries on all 7 measures

Per resident, against libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000 people across the U.S.

Visits per resident 1.1 visits · typical 3.1Lower than 88%
Borrowing per resident 0.7 print items · typical 3.9Bottom 10%
Kids’ borrowing 0.3 kids’ items · typical 1.8Bottom 10%
Program attendance 0.1 attendees · typical 0.4Bottom 10%
Programs offered 6.4 per 1,000 residents · typical 24Bottom 10%
Cardholders 17% of residents · typical 40%Bottom 10%
Spending $20 per resident · typical $43Lower than 84%
Fewer per residentMore per resident
Size group

Covington County Library System serves 18,059 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000.

A year at the library

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.

19K
visits
1.1 per resident
13K
loans, print + digital
0.7 per resident
115
programs & events
1,813 attended
3,057
library cards
17% of people served
Every open hour2items borrowed
Every week35people at a program
Every day38Wi-Fi sessions
6 staff (full-time equivalent)16 public computers
What people borrow

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.

13Kloans
Books & media (adults) 55%Kids’ books & media 45%
From your couch

Borrow from home with your card.

Kids & programs

About 2 kids’ programs a week

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

Schools in Seminary →

Programs last year by age group

Ages 0–56
Ages 6–11102
Teens0
Adults2
All ages5
Little ones
0.1

story times and programs a week for ages 0–5, on average.

6,076
kids’ books & media borrowed
1,813
people at programs
115
programs
The building

Find it

Conner Graham Memorial Library, 100 Willow Street, Seminary.

45
hours open a week
2,391
square feet
With a card

No late fees. E-books and audiobooks from home. Good at every Covington County Library System branch.

New in Seminary? 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 Seminary 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
$20 per resident a year

Typical for a library this size: $43. Operating budget $356K.

Local taxes 64%State 14%Federal 3%Gifts & other 19%

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.

How to read these numbers

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. Conner Graham 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 Seminary

Does Seminary have a public library?

Yes: Conner Graham Memorial Library, 100 Willow Street, is a branch of Covington County Library System, which serves 18,059 people. The branch is open about 45 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 Seminary’s 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 Seminary’s civic life grade?

Seminary 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 Seminary.

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.