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Bellefontaine-ohio-courthouse-fountainPhoto: Photo shot by Derek Jensen (Tysto) · Public domain
Logan County District Library

Bellefontaine’s library runs 40 programs per 1,000 residents, against a typical 14 for libraries its size

Logan County District Library serves 31,399 people in and around Bellefontaine. Last year it lent 288K books, movies and e-books and logged 65K visits.

220 N Main St., Bellefontaine 43311 · about 58 hours a week
A−Civic lifeAhead of 81% of U.S. towns · #197 of 914 in Ohio. Nonprofits and volunteering.
Directions (937) 599-4189 What’s a card worth?
Borrowed a year
288K
9.2 per resident
Visits a year
65K
2.1 per resident · Below typical (2.6)
Programs & events
1,241
about 24 a week · 26K attended
Cardholders
42%
13,039 cards
Open
58 hrs
a week at this branch
In brief

The short version on Bellefontaine’s library

Ohio pays a big share

94% of the budget comes from the state, and 0% from local taxes. Nationally, most library money is local. What your card is worth ↓

Three times the programs of a typical library its size

Logan County District Library ran 1,241 programs last year, about 24 a week. That’s 40 per 1,000 residents, against a typical 14. People show up: 26,000 attended. 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; Logan County District Library serves 31,399 people in and around Bellefontaine, and its numbers cover all of them.

Civic life grade

What’s behind Bellefontaine’s civic life grade

On community nonprofits and volunteering, Bellefontaine is ahead of 81% of U.S. towns, #197 of 914 in Ohio. Bellefontaine is graded on two of the three inputs. Both inputs are above most U.S. towns; Bellefontaine’s count of community nonprofits ranks highest.

A−
Civic lifeA character grade: shown, never part of Bellefontaine’s overall grade.
–Library visitsServed by a county or regional system, so there is no town figureACommunity nonprofits7.2 per 1,000 residents · OH towns 3.9 · U.S. 3.7B−Volunteering7.8% of adults 25–44 · OH towns 8.5% · U.S. 7.5%
All U.S. towns we grade (17,556)Ahead of 81%
FewerMore
Ohio towns we grade (914)Ahead of 79%
U.S. towns with similar incomes, $44K–$74K (7,382)Ahead of 78%

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. 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

99 community nonprofits are registered in Bellefontaine

7.2 per 1,000 residents, against a U.S. town median of 3.7. The largest group: civic groups, clubs & veterans.

Community nonprofits, by kind

Arts & culture50.36 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.24
Youth, sports & recreation130.94 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.52
Civic groups, clubs & veterans241.74 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.74
Human services191.38 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.59
Education110.80 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.43
Health70.51 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.16
Environment & animals40.29 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.17
Other161.16 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.47

Counted from the IRS list of tax-exempt organizations by mailing address (fractions where a ZIP code spans towns). Congregations are counted apart (22 here), since whether a church registers depends on its denomination, not the town.

Volunteering

7.8%

7.8% of Bellefontaine’s Facebook users aged 25–44 belong to a volunteering or activism group, against 8.5% in the typical Ohio 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 Bellefontaine’s residents live; 2022.

★ What stands out · Kids & programs

About 10 kids’ programs a week

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

Schools in Bellefontaine →

Programs last year by age group

Ages 0–5235
Ages 6–11277
Teens168
Adults49
All ages512
Little ones
4.5

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

100K
kids’ books & media borrowed
26K
people at programs
1,241
programs
How it compares

Ahead of most similar-size libraries on 7 of 8 measures

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

Visits per resident 2.1 visits · typical 2.6Lower than 62%
Borrowing per resident 6.8 print items · typical 3.7Higher than 76%
Digital borrowing 2.4 e-items · typical 1.2Higher than 79%
Kids’ borrowing 3.2 kids’ items · typical 1.7Higher than 76%
Program attendance 0.8 attendees · typical 0.3Top 10%
Programs offered 39.5 per 1,000 residents · typical 14Top 10%
Cardholders 42% of residents · typical 39%Higher than 55%
Spending $53 per resident · typical $40Higher than 66%
Fewer per residentMore per resident
Size group

Logan County District Library serves 31,399 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 38 items go out

Fiscal year 2024, for the whole Logan County District Library system. The library’s own count.

65K
visits
2.1 per resident
288K
loans, print + digital
9.2 per resident
1,241
programs & events
26K attended
13K
library cards
42% of people served
Every open hour38items borrowed
Every week495people at a program
Every day28Wi-Fi sessions
20 staff (full-time equivalent)15 public computers
What people borrow

Almost half the print loans are kids’ books

288K loans last year: print, kids’ and digital.

288Kloans
Books & media (adults) 40%Kids’ books & media 35%E-books, audio & streaming 26%
From your couch

74,026 e-books, e-audiobooks and streams last year. Borrow from home with your card, plus research databases: courses, journals, genealogy and more.

The building

Find it

Logan County District Library, 220 N Main St., Bellefontaine.

Directions(937) 599-4189
58
hours open a week
17,500
square feet
With a card

No late fees. E-books and audiobooks from home. Loans renew on their own if no one’s waiting. Research databases: courses, journals, genealogy. Good at every Logan County District Library branch.

New in Bellefontaine? 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 $2.72 worth

Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Bellefontaine cardholder borrows.

In a month I’d use…
Books$17 each
1
Kids’ books$12 each
1
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
$348
a year at retail prices · $29 a month

Who pays for it
$53 per resident a year

Typical for a library this size: $40. Operating budget $1.7M.

State 94%Federal 2%Gifts & other 4%

Last year the library lent and hosted about $4.5M worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $1.7M 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 13,039 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. Logan County District Library serves 31,399 people in and around Bellefontaine, so the yearly numbers cover all of them, not just Bellefontaine.

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 Bellefontaine

Does Bellefontaine have a public library?

Yes. Logan County District Library, 220 N Main St., serves 31,399 people in and around Bellefontaine (the survey’s count) and is open about 58 hours a week, averaged over the year.

Is Logan County District 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 Bellefontaine’s library?

It logged 2.1 visits and lent 9.2 items per resident in 2024, against a typical 2.6 visits for libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people.

What is Bellefontaine’s civic life grade?

A− Bellefontaine is ahead of 81% of U.S. towns on civic life, #197 of 914 in Ohio. 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 Bellefontaine.

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.