Photo: Elcajonfarms at en.wikipedia · CC BY 3.0Velva’s library is a branch of Iris Swedlund School & Public Library, which lends more per resident than 94% of systems its size
Velva’s library is the Velva Public & School Library, a branch of Iris Swedlund School & Public Library, which serves 1,086 people and lent 15K items last year.
The short version on Velva’s library
More than half the print loans are for kids
Children’s books and media are 87% of print loans, and kids’ borrowing per resident is higher than at 98% of similar-size libraries. Kids & programs ↓
Busy on a lean budget
The Iris Swedlund School & Public Library system spends $13 per resident, less than 96% of similar-size libraries (typical: $54). It’s still busier than 90% of them. What your card is worth ↓
Five times the programs of a typical library its size
The Iris Swedlund School & Public Library system ran 299 programs last year, about 6 a week. That’s 275 per 1,000 residents, against a typical 60. People show up: 7,070 attended. Kids & programs ↓
One of the busiest library systems its size
The Iris Swedlund School & Public Library system logs 8.5 visits per resident, against a typical 3.5 for libraries serving under 2,500 people, and lends 14 print items per resident against a typical 3.9. On both counts it beats 86% of similar-size libraries across the U.S. How it compares ↓
Most programs are for young children
73% of the 299 programs last year were for ages 11 and under, including 37 for ages 0–5. Kids & programs ↓
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; Velva’s library is a branch of Iris Swedlund School & Public Library, so they cover the whole system (1,086 people), not just the Velva branch; in a town this small, one busy program or a few avid readers move the per-resident numbers.
What’s behind Velva’s civic life grade
On library visits, community nonprofits and volunteering, Velva is among the top 1% of U.S. towns. All three inputs put Velva near the top nationally; Velva’s count of community nonprofits ranks highest.
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 →
16 community nonprofits are registered in Velva
14.8 per 1,000 residents, against a U.S. town median of 3.7. The largest group: youth, sports & recreation.
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 (0 here), since whether a church registers depends on its denomination, not the town.
17.9%
17.9% of Velva’s Facebook users aged 25–44 belong to a volunteering or activism group, against 6.9% in the typical North Dakota 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 Velva’s residents live; 2022.
About 4 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.
Ahead of most similar-size libraries on 6 of 7 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving under 2,500 people across the U.S.
Iris Swedlund School & Public Library serves 1,086 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving under 2,500.
Every hour the doors are open, about 7 items go out
Fiscal year 2024, for the whole Iris Swedlund School & Public Library system. The library’s own count.
More than half the print loans are kids’ books
15K print loans last year. The library didn’t report its e-book and e-audiobook loans.
Borrow from home with your card, plus research databases: courses, journals, genealogy and more.
Find it
Velva Public & School Library, 101 West 4th Street, Velva.
No late fees. E-books and audiobooks from home. Research databases: courses, journals, genealogy. Good at every Iris Swedlund School & Public Library branch.
New in Velva? The Handbook →Hours are the survey’s yearly average. Check the library’s own site for today’s hours.
For every $1 it spends, the library lends about $19.17 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Velva cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $54. Operating budget $14K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $265K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $14K 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 819 cardholders ÷ 12.
What this data can and can’t tell you
From the Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024.
- Visits are a typical-week estimate. Iris Swedlund School & Public Library counted one typical week and multiplied by 52, as the survey allows.
- Digital loans not reported. The library didn’t report e-book loans, so borrowing here is print only.
- System-wide. Velva Public & School Library is one branch of Iris Swedlund School & Public Library, so the yearly numbers cover every branch and all 1,086 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 Velva
Does Velva have a public library?
Yes: Velva Public & School Library, 101 West 4th Street, is a branch of Iris Swedlund School & Public Library, which serves 1,086 people. The branch is open about 43 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Iris Swedlund School & Public 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 Velva’s library?
It logged 8.5 visits and lent 14.0 print items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3.5 visits for libraries serving under 2,500 people.
What is Velva’s civic life grade?
A+ Velva is among the top 1% 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 Velva.
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.