Photo: Jason Woodhead · CC BY 4.0Virginia City’s library lends 1 print items per resident, against a typical 3.8 for libraries its size
Thompson-Hickman Madison County Library serves 5,519 people in and around Virginia City. Last year it lent 5,928 books, movies and e-books and logged 10K visits.
The short version on Virginia City’s library
Few residents carry a card
Only 13% of the people the system serves have a library card, against a typical 42% for its size. How it compares ↓
People visit, but borrow less than most
Thompson-Hickman Madison County Library lends 1 print items per resident, against a typical 3.8 for libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people, fewer than 90% of similar-size libraries, though visits are closer to typical. What people borrow ↓
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; Thompson-Hickman Madison County Library serves 5,519 people in and around Virginia City, and its numbers cover all of them.
What’s behind Virginia City’s civic life grade
Virginia City isn’t graded on civic life: TownRatings grades towns of 1,000 residents or more.
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 →
Ahead of most similar-size libraries on 2 of 8 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people across the U.S.
Thompson-Hickman Madison County Library serves 5,519 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000.
Every hour the doors are open, about 3 items go out
Fiscal year 2024, for the whole Thompson-Hickman Madison County Library system. The library’s own count.
Almost half the print loans are kids’ books
5,928 loans last year: print, kids’ and digital.
551 e-books, e-audiobooks and streams last year. 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
Thompson-Hickman Madison County Library, 217 East Idaho Street, Virginia City.
No late fees. E-books and audiobooks from home. Loans renew on their own if no one’s waiting. Good at every Thompson-Hickman Madison County Library branch.
New in Virginia City? 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 Virginia City cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $43. Operating budget $240K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $113K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $240K 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 728 cardholders ÷ 12.
What this data can and can’t tell you
From the Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024.
- System-wide. Thompson-Hickman Madison County Library serves 5,519 people in and around Virginia City, so the yearly numbers cover all of them, not just Virginia City.
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 Virginia City
Does Virginia City have a public library?
Yes. Thompson-Hickman Madison County Library, 217 East Idaho Street, serves 5,519 people in and around Virginia City (the survey’s count) and is open about 44 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Thompson-Hickman Madison County Library 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 Virginia City’s library?
It logged 1.8 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 Virginia City’s civic life grade?
Virginia City 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 Virginia City.
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.