Photo: Aesopposea · CC BY-SA 3.0South Salem’s library is a branch of Chillicothe and Ross County Public Library, which lends more per resident than 50% of systems its size
South Salem’s library is the South Salem Branch Library, a branch of Chillicothe and Ross County Public Library, which serves 77,093 people and lent 429K items last year.
South Salem’s library, in brief
Ohio pays a big share
53% of the budget comes from the state, and 38% from local taxes. Nationally, most library money is local. What your card is worth ↓
Open only about 12 hours a week
The South Salem branch keeps short hours: about 12 a week, averaged over the year, so check its schedule before you go. The building ↓
Most programs are for young children
68% of the 1,536 programs last year were for ages 11 and under, including about 8.4 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; South Salem’s library is a branch of Chillicothe and Ross County Public Library, so they cover the whole system (77,093 people), not just the South Salem branch.
What’s behind South Salem’s civic life grade
South Salem 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 5 of 8 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people across the U.S.
Chillicothe and Ross County Public Library serves 77,093 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000.
Every hour the doors are open, about 33 items go out
Fiscal year 2024, for the whole Chillicothe and Ross County Public Library system. The library’s own count.
Mostly books and media off the shelf
429K loans last year: print, kids’ and digital.
139,060 e-books, e-audiobooks and streams last year. Borrow from home with your card, plus research databases: courses, journals, genealogy and more.
About 20 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
South Salem Branch Library, 4297 Broadway St., South Salem.
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 Chillicothe and Ross County Public Library branch.
New in South Salem? 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 $1.54 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average South Salem cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $40. Operating budget $4.7M.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $7.2M worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $4.7M 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 22,375 cardholders ÷ 12.
What this data can and can’t tell you
From the Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024.
- System-wide. South Salem Branch Library is one branch of Chillicothe and Ross County Public Library, so the yearly numbers cover every branch and all 77,093 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 South Salem
Does South Salem have a public library?
Yes: South Salem Branch Library, 4297 Broadway St., is a branch of Chillicothe and Ross County Public Library, which serves 77,093 people. The branch is open about 12 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Chillicothe and Ross County 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 South Salem’s library?
It logged 2.8 visits and lent 5.6 items per resident in 2024, against a typical 2.6 visits for libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people.
What is South Salem’s civic life grade?
South Salem 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 South Salem.
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.