Photo: Atomic Energy505 · CC BY-SA 3.0Papillion’s library lends 11 print items per resident, against a typical 3.9 for libraries its size
Papillion Public Library serves Papillion’s 23,791 residents from 2 locations. Last year it lent 356K books, movies and e-books and logged 145K visits.
Papillion’s library, in brief
Papillion ranks 2nd in Nebraska for kids’ borrowing
Out of 41 Nebraska towns with a library of their own, Papillion comes 2nd for children’s items borrowed per child. How it compares ↓
More than half the print loans are for kids
Children’s books and media are 72% of print loans, and kids’ borrowing per resident is higher than at 97% of similar-size libraries. That works out to about 34 items per child in Papillion last year. Kids & programs ↓
Papillion uses its library more than almost any town its size
Papillion Public Library logs 6.1 visits per resident, against a typical 3.1 for libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000 people, and lends 11 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 ↓
Big on e-books and audiobooks
Digital borrowing runs 4.1 e-items per resident, against a typical 1.1, higher than at 94% of similar-size libraries. It’s 27% of all loans. What people borrow ↓
Open about 68 hours a week
The main library is open about 68 hours a week, averaged over the year. Every hour the doors are open, about 52 items go out. The buildings ↓
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.
What’s behind Papillion’s civic life grade
On library visits, community nonprofits and volunteering, Papillion is ahead of 74% of U.S. towns, #27 of 55 in Nebraska. All three inputs are above most U.S. towns; library visits rank 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 →
104 community nonprofits are registered in Papillion
4.1 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 (17 here), since whether a church registers depends on its denomination, not the town. 2 more name a national or statewide reach and are left out.
8.1%
8.1% of Papillion’s Facebook users aged 25–44 belong to a volunteering or activism group, against 7.9% in the typical Nebraska 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 Papillion’s residents live; 2022.
About 5 kids’ programs a week
Story times, clubs, classes and events, by who they’re for.
Programs last year by age group
story times and programs a week for ages 0–5, on average.
children’s books and media borrowed per child under 18 in Papillion last year.
Ahead of most similar-size libraries on 7 of 8 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000 people across the U.S.
Papillion Public Library serves 23,791 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000.
Every hour the doors are open, about 52 items go out
Fiscal year 2024. The library’s own count.
More than half the print loans are kids’ books
356K loans last year: print, kids’ and digital.
Each of the 72K books and other items on the shelves went out about 3.6 times last year, on average.
97,831 e-books, e-audiobooks and streams last year. Borrow from home with your card, plus research databases: courses, journals, genealogy and more.
2 places to borrow in Papillion
Sump Memorial Library, 222 North Jefferson, Papillion.
No late fees. E-books and audiobooks from home. Loans renew on their own if no one’s waiting. Research databases: courses, journals, genealogy.
New in Papillion? The Handbook →Hours are the survey’s yearly average. Check the library’s own site for today’s hours.
Other libraries in Papillion
For every $1 it spends, the library lends about $3.72 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Papillion cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $43. Operating budget $1.4M.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $5.1M worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $1.4M 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 20,209 cardholders ÷ 12.
Libraries next door
Who has a library of their own, and how much each town borrows. Tap a town to see its library.
| Town | Library | Loans per resident | Hours | Civic life |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Papillion | Sump Memorial Library fine-free | 15.0 | 68 | B+ |
| La Vista | La Vista Public Library | 8.2 | 74 | C+ |
Loans = print + digital items borrowed in the library’s fiscal year, per person it serves. — = no library of its own, a county or regional system (its numbers cover many towns), or no report. Civic life: — = not graded (unincorporated places, whose nonprofits can’t be placed by mailing address, or towns with fewer than two of the three inputs).
What this data can and can’t tell you
From the Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024.
- The library’s own count. Libraries report their own visits, loans and programs. A library that didn’t respond keeps its address and hours here, with no numbers.
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 Papillion
Does Papillion have a public library?
Yes. Papillion Public Library, 222 North Jefferson, serves Papillion’s 23,791 residents (the survey’s count) and is open about 68 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Papillion 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 Papillion’s library?
It logged 6.1 visits and lent 15.0 items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3.1 visits for libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000 people.
What is Papillion’s civic life grade?
B+ Papillion is ahead of 74% of U.S. towns on civic life, #27 of 55 in Nebraska. 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 Papillion.
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.