Robert E. Howard House · Photo: 0ccam · CC BY-SA 2.0Cross Plains’ library logs 1.4 visits per resident, against a typical 3 for libraries its size
Cross Plains Public Library serves 2,732 people in and around Cross Plains. Last year it lent 3,320 books, movies and e-books and logged 3,887 visits.
The short version on Cross Plains’s library
More library cards than residents
4,244 cards for 2,732 people. Cards held by people from outside the service area count too, so the total can pass the population. At the typical library serving 2,500 to 10,000 people, it’s 42%. How it compares ↓
Mostly paid for by gifts, not taxes
75% of the library’s income comes from gifts, endowments, fees and other sources, not taxes. Local taxes cover 25%. What your card is worth ↓
Cross Plains Public Library is used less than most libraries its size
Cross Plains Public Library records 1.4 visits per resident, against a typical 3 for libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people. Borrowing is 0.9 print items per resident, against a typical 3.8. It also spends less than most: $21 per resident, against a typical $43. How it compares ↓
Open only about 20 hours a week
Cross Plains Public Library keeps short hours: about 20 a week, averaged over the year, so check its schedule before you go. The building ↓
Cross Plains Public Library serves more than Cross Plains
The library’s service area covers 2,732 people in and around Cross Plains, so its per-resident numbers are measured against that wider population. How it compares ↓
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.
What’s behind Cross Plains’ civic life grade
Cross Plains 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 2 of 8 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people across the U.S.
Cross Plains Public Library serves 2,732 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000.
Every hour the doors are open, about 3 items go out
Fiscal year 2024. The library’s own count.
Mostly books and media off the shelf
3,320 loans last year: print, kids’ and digital.
Each of the 39K books and other items on the shelves went out about 0.1 time last year, on average.
828 e-books, e-audiobooks and streams last year. Borrow from home with your card, plus research databases: courses, journals, genealogy and more.
29 programs a year
Story times, clubs, classes and events, 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
Cross Plains Public Library, 149 N Main St., Cross Plains.
No late fees. E-books and audiobooks from home. Research databases: courses, journals, genealogy.
New in Cross Plains? 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 $1.25 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Cross Plains cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $43. Operating budget $56K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $71K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $56K 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 4,244 cardholders ÷ 12.
What this data can and can’t tell you
From the Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024.
- The library’s own count. Libraries report their own visits, loans and programs. A library that didn’t respond keeps its address and hours here, with no numbers.
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 Cross Plains
Does Cross Plains have a public library?
Yes. Cross Plains Public Library, 149 N Main St., serves 2,732 people in and around Cross Plains (the survey’s count) and is open about 20 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Cross Plains 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 Cross Plains’ library?
It logged 1.4 visits and lent 1.2 items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3 visits for libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people.
What is Cross Plains’ civic life grade?
Cross Plains 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 Cross Plains.
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.