Photo: Finetooth · CC BY-SA 3.0Prospect’s library is a branch of Jackson County Library Services, which lends more per resident than 76% of systems its size
Prospect’s library is the Prospect Branch Library, a branch of Jackson County Library Services, which serves 222,762 people and lent 1.3M items last year.
The short version on Prospect’s library
Open only about 22 hours a week
The Prospect branch keeps short hours: about 22 a week, averaged over the year, so check its schedule before you go. The building ↓
Twice the programs of a typical library its size
The Jackson County Library Services system ran 4,817 programs last year, about 93 a week. That’s 22 per 1,000 residents, against a typical 9. 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; Prospect’s library is a branch of Jackson County Library Services, so they cover the whole system (222,762 people), not just the Prospect branch.
What’s behind Prospect’s civic life grade
Prospect 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 →
About 57 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.
Ahead of most similar-size libraries on all 7 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 100,000+ people across the U.S.
Jackson County Library Services serves 222,762 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 100,000+.
Every hour the doors are open, about 49 items go out
Fiscal year 2024, for the whole Jackson County Library Services system. The library’s own count.
Almost half the print loans are kids’ books
1.3M print loans last year. The library didn’t report its e-book and e-audiobook loans.
Find it
Prospect Branch Library, 150 Mill Creek Dr, Prospect.
No late fees. Loans renew on their own if no one’s waiting. Research databases: courses, journals, genealogy. Good at every Jackson County Library Services branch.
New in Prospect? 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 $1.67 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Prospect cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $36. Operating budget $16M.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $26M worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $16M 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 105,824 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. Prospect Branch Library is one branch of Jackson County Library Services, so the yearly numbers cover every branch and all 222,762 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 Prospect
Does Prospect have a public library?
Yes: Prospect Branch Library, 150 Mill Creek Dr, is a branch of Jackson County Library Services, which serves 222,762 people. The branch is open about 22 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Jackson County Library Services fine-free?
Yes, no late fees (the library’s 2024 survey report).
How busy is Prospect’s library?
It logged 3.2 visits and lent 5.7 print items per resident in 2024, against a typical 2.1 visits for libraries serving 100,000+ people.
What is Prospect’s civic life grade?
Prospect 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 Prospect.
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.