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Monterey Branch Library · part of Putnam County Library

Monterey’s library is a branch of Putnam County Library, which lends less per resident than 68% of systems its size

Monterey’s library is the Monterey Branch Library, a branch of Putnam County Library, which serves 83,844 people and lent 345K items last year.

401 E Commercial Avenue, Monterey 38574 · about 42 hours a week
C−Civic lifeAhead of 19% of U.S. towns · #114 of 150 in Tennessee. Nonprofits and volunteering.
Directions (931) 839-2103 What’s a card worth?
Borrowed a year
345K
4.1 per resident
Visits a year
72K
0.9 per resident · Below typical (2.6)
Programs & events
1,865
about 36 a week · 13K attended
Cardholders
30%
25,219 cards
Open
42 hrs
a week at this branch
In brief

What Monterey’s library is like

Fewer visits than most libraries its size

The Putnam County Library system records 0.9 visits per resident, against a typical 2.6 for libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people, below 92% of similar-size libraries. Borrowing holds up better, at 2.4 print items per resident. How it compares ↓

Runs on less money than most

The Putnam County Library system spends $13 per resident, less than 92% of similar-size libraries (typical: $40). What your card is worth ↓

42% of borrowing happens on a screen

E-books, e-audiobooks and streaming make up 42% of loans, more per resident than at 66% of similar-size libraries. Print still makes up 58%, much of it kids’ books. What people borrow ↓

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; Monterey’s library is a branch of Putnam County Library, so they cover the whole system (83,844 people), not just the Monterey branch.

Civic life grade

What’s behind Monterey’s civic life grade

On community nonprofits and volunteering, Monterey is ahead of 19% of U.S. towns, #114 of 150 in Tennessee. Monterey is graded on two of the three inputs. Both inputs sit below most U.S. towns; the share of younger adults in volunteering groups comes closest to the middle.

C−
Civic lifeA character grade: shown, never part of Monterey’s overall grade.
–Library visitsServed by a county or regional system, so there is no town figureC−Community nonprofits2.4 per 1,000 residents · TN towns 3.0 · U.S. 3.7C+Volunteering6.7% of adults 25–44 · TN towns 6.7% · U.S. 7.5%
All U.S. towns we grade (17,556)Ahead of 19%
FewerMore
Tennessee towns we grade (150)Ahead of 24%
U.S. towns with similar incomes, $34K–$57K (3,661)Ahead of 23%

Putnam County Library spends $13 per resident, against a typical $40 for libraries its size.

Most U.S. towns with similar household incomes ($34K–$57K) score higher, so income alone doesn’t account for it.

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. Monterey is small (2,827 residents), so a few dozen organizations or visits move its per-resident figures; 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

6 community nonprofits are registered in Monterey

2.4 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 & culture00.00 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.24
Youth, sports & recreation10.33 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.52
Civic groups, clubs & veterans20.69 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.74
Human services10.43 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.59
Education10.22 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.43
Health10.22 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.16
Environment & animals10.22 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.17
Other10.22 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 (3 here), since whether a church registers depends on its denomination, not the town.

Volunteering

6.7%

6.7% of Monterey’s Facebook users aged 25–44 belong to a volunteering or activism group, against 6.7% in the typical Tennessee 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 Monterey’s residents live; 2022.

★ What stands out · What people borrow

42% of borrowing is digital

345K loans last year: print, kids’ and digital.

345Kloans
Books & media (adults) 32%Kids’ books & media 26%E-books, audio & streaming 42%
From your couch

146,488 e-books, e-audiobooks and streams last year. Borrow from home with your card, plus research databases: courses, journals, genealogy and more.

How it compares

Ahead of most similar-size libraries on 2 of 8 measures

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

Visits per resident 0.9 visits · typical 2.6Bottom 10%
Borrowing per resident 2.4 print items · typical 3.7Lower than 68%
Digital borrowing 1.7 e-items · typical 1.2Higher than 66%
Kids’ borrowing 1.1 kids’ items · typical 1.7Lower than 66%
Program attendance 0.2 attendees · typical 0.3Lower than 82%
Programs offered 22.2 per 1,000 residents · typical 14Higher than 74%
Cardholders 30% of residents · typical 39%Lower than 70%
Spending $13 per resident · typical $40Bottom 10%
Fewer per residentMore per resident
Size group

Putnam County Library serves 83,844 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 41 items go out

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

72K
visits
0.9 per resident
345K
loans, print + digital
4.1 per resident
1,865
programs & events
13K attended
25K
library cards
30% of people served
Every open hour41items borrowed
Every week243people at a program
Every week1,383visits
14 staff (full-time equivalent)45 public computers
Kids & programs

About 18 kids’ programs a week

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

Schools in Monterey →

Programs last year by age group

Ages 0–5409
Ages 6–11509
Teens151
Adults427
All ages369
Little ones
7.9

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

89K
kids’ books & media borrowed
13K
people at programs
1,865
programs
The building

Find it

Monterey Branch Library, 401 E Commercial Avenue, Monterey.

Directions(931) 839-2103
42
hours open a week
4,246
square feet
With a card

E-books and audiobooks from home. Research databases: courses, journals, genealogy. Good at every Putnam County Library branch.

New in Monterey? 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 $4.79 worth

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

In a month I’d use…
Books$17 each
1
Kids’ books$12 each
0
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
$204
a year at retail prices · $17 a month

Who pays for it
$13 per resident a year

Typical for a library this size: $40. Operating budget $1.1M.

Local taxes 93%Gifts & other 7%

Last year the library lent and hosted about $5.2M worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $1.1M 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 25,219 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. Monterey Branch Library is one branch of Putnam County Library, so the yearly numbers cover every branch and all 83,844 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 Monterey

Does Monterey have a public library?

Yes: Monterey Branch Library, 401 E Commercial Avenue, is a branch of Putnam County Library, which serves 83,844 people. The branch is open about 42 hours a week, averaged over the year.

Is Putnam County 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 Monterey’s library?

It logged 0.9 visits and lent 4.1 items per resident in 2024, against a typical 2.6 visits for libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people.

What is Monterey’s civic life grade?

C− Monterey is ahead of 19% of U.S. towns on civic life, #114 of 150 in Tennessee. 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 Monterey.

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.