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Liberty Branch · part of Delaware County District Library

Powell’s library is a branch of Delaware County District Library, which lends more per resident than 93% of systems its size

Powell’s library is the Liberty Branch, a branch of Delaware County District Library, which serves 165,831 people and lent 2M items last year.

7468 Steitz Road, Powell 43065 · about 50 hours a week
A−Civic lifeAhead of 76% of U.S. towns · #263 of 914 in Ohio. Nonprofits and volunteering.
Directions (740) 513-4557 What’s a card worth?
Borrowed a year
2M
11.8 per resident
Visits a year
487K
2.9 per resident · Above typical (2.1)
Programs & events
1,069
about 21 a week · 45K attended
Cardholders
60%
100,230 cards
Open
50 hrs
a week at this branch
In brief

The short version on Powell’s library

More than half the print loans are for kids

Children’s books and media are 57% of print loans, and kids’ borrowing per resident is higher than at 93% of similar-size libraries. Kids & programs ↓

A system of heavy borrowers

The Delaware County District Library system lends 9.2 print items per resident, against a typical 3.2 for libraries serving 100,000+ people, more than 93% of similar-size libraries. What people borrow ↓

Ohio pays a big share

31% of the budget comes from the state, and 56% from local taxes. Nationally, most library money is local. 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; Powell’s library is a branch of Delaware County District Library, so they cover the whole system (165,831 people), not just the Powell branch.

Civic life grade

What’s behind Powell’s civic life grade

On community nonprofits and volunteering, Powell is ahead of 76% of U.S. towns, #263 of 914 in Ohio. Powell is graded on two of the three inputs. The share of younger adults in volunteering groups holds the grade up; Powell’s count of community nonprofits pulls it down.

A−
Civic lifeA character grade: shown, never part of Powell’s overall grade.
–Library visitsServed by a county or regional system, so there is no town figureC+Community nonprofits3.3 per 1,000 residents · OH towns 3.9 · U.S. 3.7AVolunteering13.1% of adults 25–44 · OH towns 8.5% · U.S. 7.5%
All U.S. towns we grade (17,556)Ahead of 76%
FewerMore
Ohio towns we grade (914)Ahead of 71%
U.S. towns with similar incomes, $147K–$244K (720)Ahead of 63%

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

48 community nonprofits are registered in Powell

3.3 per 1,000 residents, against a U.S. town median of 3.7. The largest group: youth, sports & recreation.

Community nonprofits, by kind

Arts & culture40.26 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.24
Youth, sports & recreation80.55 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.52
Civic groups, clubs & veterans80.53 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.74
Human services80.55 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.59
Education70.48 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.43
Health40.30 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.16
Environment & animals40.26 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.17
Other60.39 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 (10 here), since whether a church registers depends on its denomination, not the town. 4 more name a national or statewide reach and are left out.

Volunteering

13.1%

13.1% of Powell’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 Powell’s residents live; 2022.

★ What stands out · Kids & programs

About 13 kids’ programs a week

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

Schools in Powell →

Programs last year by age group

Ages 0–5553
Ages 6–11113
Teens88
Adults303
All ages12
Little ones
10.6

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

872K
kids’ books & media borrowed
45K
people at programs
1,069
programs
How it compares

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

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

Visits per resident 2.9 visits · typical 2.1Higher than 75%
Borrowing per resident 9.2 print items · typical 3.2Top 10%
Digital borrowing 2.6 e-items · typical 1.4Higher than 74%
Kids’ borrowing 5.3 kids’ items · typical 1.6Top 10%
Program attendance 0.3 attendees · typical 0.2Higher than 64%
Programs offered 6.4 per 1,000 residents · typical 9Lower than 70%
Cardholders 60% of residents · typical 41%Higher than 79%
Spending $52 per resident · typical $36Higher than 68%
Fewer per residentMore per resident
Size group

Delaware County District Library serves 165,831 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 100,000+.

A year at the library

Every hour the doors are open, about 140 items go out

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

487K
visits
2.9 per resident
2M
loans, print + digital
11.8 per resident
1,069
programs & events
45K attended
100K
library cards
60% of people served
Every open hour140items borrowed
Every week869people at a program
Every day148Wi-Fi sessions
89 staff (full-time equivalent)137 public computers
What people borrow

More than half the print loans are kids’ books

2M loans last year: print, kids’ and digital.

2Mloans
Books & media (adults) 33%Kids’ books & media 45%E-books, audio & streaming 22%
From your couch

433,553 e-books, e-audiobooks and streams last year. Borrow from home with your card, plus research databases: courses, journals, genealogy and more.

The buildings

2 places to borrow in Powell

Liberty Branch, 7468 Steitz Road, Powell.

Directions(740) 513-4557
50
hours open a week
44,000
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 Delaware County District Library branch.

New in Powell? The Handbook →

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

Other Delaware County District Library branches in Powell

Powell Branch Library460 S. Liberty Rd. · 39 hrs a week
What your card is worth

For every $1 it spends, the library lends about $3.35 worth

Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Powell 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
$52 per resident a year

Typical for a library this size: $36. Operating budget $8.5M.

Local taxes 56%State 31%Federal 1%Gifts & other 13%

Last year the library lent and hosted about $29M worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $8.5M 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 100,230 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. Liberty Branch is one branch of Delaware County District Library, so the yearly numbers cover every branch and all 165,831 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 Powell

Does Powell have a public library?

Yes: Liberty Branch, 7468 Steitz Road, is a branch of Delaware County District Library, which serves 165,831 people. The branch is open about 50 hours a week, averaged over the year.

Is Delaware 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 Powell’s library?

It logged 2.9 visits and lent 11.8 items per resident in 2024, against a typical 2.1 visits for libraries serving 100,000+ people.

What is Powell’s civic life grade?

A− Powell is ahead of 76% of U.S. towns on civic life, #263 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 Powell.

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.