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Union Public Library · part of Kemper-Newton Regional Library

Union’s library is a branch of Kemper-Newton Regional Library, which lends less per resident than 93% of systems its size

Union’s library is the Union Public Library, a branch of Kemper-Newton Regional Library, which serves 29,603 people and lent 25K items last year.

101 Peachtree Street, Union 39365 · about 39 hours a week
C+Civic lifeAhead of 38% of U.S. towns. Nonprofits and volunteering.
Directions (601) 774-5096 What’s a card worth?
Borrowed a year
25K
0.9 per resident
Visits a year
30K
1 per resident · Below typical (2.6)
Programs & events
165
about 3 a week · 4,173 attended
Cardholders
51%
15,210 cards
Open
39 hrs
a week at this branch
In brief

Union’s library, in brief

The Kemper-Newton Regional Library system is used less than most libraries its size

The Kemper-Newton Regional Library system records 1 visits per resident, against a typical 2.6 for libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people. Borrowing is 0.7 print items per resident, against a typical 3.7. It also spends less than most: $10 per resident, against a typical $40. How it compares ↓

Mississippi pays a big share

24% of the budget comes from the state, and 61% from local taxes. Nationally, most library money is local. What your card is worth ↓

Few programs for a library this size

The Kemper-Newton Regional Library system offered 165 programs last year, 5.6 per 1,000 residents against a typical 14. Kids & programs ↓

Runs on less money than most

The Kemper-Newton Regional Library system spends $10 per resident, less than 96% of similar-size libraries (typical: $40). 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; Union’s library is a branch of Kemper-Newton Regional Library, so they cover the whole system (29,603 people), not just the Union branch.

Civic life grade

What’s behind Union’s civic life grade

On community nonprofits and volunteering, Union is ahead of 38% of U.S. towns. Union is graded on two of the three inputs. The share of younger adults in volunteering groups holds the grade up; Union’s count of community nonprofits pulls it down.

C+
Civic lifeA character grade: shown, never part of Union’s overall grade.
–Library visitsServed by a county or regional system, so there is no town figureC−Community nonprofits2.4 per 1,000 residents · MS towns 2.8 · U.S. 3.7BVolunteering8.6% of adults 25–44 · MS towns 4.4% · U.S. 7.5%
All U.S. towns we grade (17,556)Ahead of 38%
FewerMore
U.S. towns with similar incomes, $33K–$56K (3,279)Ahead of 42%

Most U.S. towns with similar household incomes ($33K–$56K) 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.

How sure. Graded on two inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. Union is small (2,007 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

5 community nonprofits are registered in Union

2.4 per 1,000 residents, against a U.S. town median of 3.7. The largest group: education.

Community nonprofits, by kind

Arts & culture00.14 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.24
Youth, sports & recreation00.24 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.52
Civic groups, clubs & veterans10.53 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.74
Human services00.24 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.59
Education21.00 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.43
Health00.14 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.16
Environment & animals00.00 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.17

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.

Volunteering

8.6%

8.6% of Union’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 Union’s residents live; 2022.

How it compares

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

Per resident, against libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people across the U.S.

Visits per resident 1 visits · typical 2.6Bottom 10%
Borrowing per resident 0.7 print items · typical 3.7Bottom 10%
Digital borrowing 0.1 e-items · typical 1.2Bottom 10%
Kids’ borrowing 0.1 kids’ items · typical 1.7Bottom 10%
Program attendance 0.1 attendees · typical 0.3Lower than 83%
Programs offered 5.6 per 1,000 residents · typical 14Lower than 88%
Cardholders 51% of residents · typical 39%Higher than 70%
Spending $10 per resident · typical $40Bottom 10%
Fewer per residentMore per resident
Size group

Kemper-Newton Regional Library serves 29,603 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000.

A year at the library

Every hour the doors are open, about 3 items go out

Fiscal year 2024, for the whole Kemper-Newton Regional Library system. The library’s own count.

30K
visits
1 per resident
25K
loans, print + digital
0.9 per resident
165
programs & events
4,173 attended
15K
library cards
51% of people served
Every open hour3items borrowed
Every week80people at a program
Every day22Wi-Fi sessions
9 staff (full-time equivalent)28 public computers
What people borrow

Mostly books and media off the shelf

25K loans last year: print, kids’ and digital.

25Kloans
Books & media (adults) 74%Kids’ books & media 10%E-books, audio & streaming 16%
From your couch

3,968 e-books, e-audiobooks and streams last year. Borrow from home with your card, plus research databases: courses, journals, genealogy and more.

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 Union →

Programs last year by age group

Ages 0–541
Ages 6–1160
Teens10
Adults20
All ages34
Little ones
0.8

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

2,541
kids’ books & media borrowed
4,173
people at programs
165
programs
The building

Find it

Union Public Library, 101 Peachtree Street, Union.

Directions(601) 774-5096
39
hours open a week
6,398
square feet
With a card

No late fees. E-books and audiobooks from home. Research databases: courses, journals, genealogy. Good at every Kemper-Newton Regional Library branch.

New in Union? The Handbook →

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

What your card is worth

For every $1 it spends, the library lends about $1.62 worth

Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Union 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
$10 per resident a year

Typical for a library this size: $40. Operating budget $293K.

Local taxes 61%State 24%Federal 6%Gifts & other 9%

Last year the library lent and hosted about $474K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $293K 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 15,210 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. Union Public Library is one branch of Kemper-Newton Regional Library, so the yearly numbers cover every branch and all 29,603 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 Union

Does Union have a public library?

Yes: Union Public Library, 101 Peachtree Street, is a branch of Kemper-Newton Regional Library, which serves 29,603 people. The branch is open about 39 hours a week, averaged over the year.

Is Kemper-Newton Regional Library fine-free? Does it lend e-books?

Yes to both: no late fees, and e-books, audiobooks and research databases with a card (the library’s 2024 survey report).

How busy is Union’s library?

It logged 1.0 visits and lent 0.9 items per resident in 2024, against a typical 2.6 visits for libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people.

What is Union’s civic life grade?

C+ Union is ahead of 38% 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 Union.

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.