Photo: Aesopposea · CC BY-SA 3.0Russellville’s library is a branch of Union Township Public Library, which lends more per resident than 78% of systems its size
Russellville’s library is the Russellville Branch, a branch of Union Township Public Library, which serves 13,774 people and lent 95K items last year.
The short version on Russellville’s library
Ohio pays a big share
66% of the budget comes from the state, and 30% from local taxes. Nationally, most library money is local. What your card is worth ↓
People borrow more than they stay
Borrowing per resident is higher than at 78% of similar-size libraries, but visits are lower than at 73%. People come in, pick up their books and go. How it compares ↓
Most programs are for young children
74% of the 217 programs last year were for ages 11 and under, including about 1.7 a week 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; Russellville’s library is a branch of Union Township Public Library, so they cover the whole system (13,774 people), not just the Russellville branch.
What’s behind Russellville’s civic life grade
Russellville 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 3 of 7 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000 people across the U.S.
Union Township Public Library serves 13,774 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000.
Every hour the doors are open, about 14 items go out
Fiscal year 2024, for the whole Union Township Public Library system. The library’s own count.
Books and media off the shelf
95K 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.
About 3 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
Russellville Branch, 280 W Main St., Russellville.
E-books and audiobooks from home. Loans renew on their own if no one’s waiting. Research databases: courses, journals, genealogy. Good at every Union Township Public Library branch.
New in Russellville? 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 $2.27 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Russellville cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $43. Operating budget $680K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $1.5M worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $680K budget.
Late fines apply to some overdue items.
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 4,428 cardholders ÷ 12.
What this data can and can’t tell you
From the Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024.
- Digital loans not reported. The library didn’t report e-book loans, so borrowing here is print only.
- System-wide. Russellville Branch is one branch of Union Township Public Library, so the yearly numbers cover every branch and all 13,774 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 Russellville
Does Russellville have a public library?
Yes: Russellville Branch, 280 W Main St., is a branch of Union Township Public Library, which serves 13,774 people. The branch is open about 40 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Union Township Public Library fine-free? Does it lend e-books?
It charges late fines on some overdue items, and it lends e-books and audiobooks with a card (the library’s 2024 survey report).
How busy is Russellville’s library?
It logged 1.9 visits and lent 6.9 print items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3.1 visits for libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000 people.
What is Russellville’s civic life grade?
Russellville 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 Russellville.
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.