Photo: Highlightwiki · CC BY 4.0Groom’s library is a branch of Carson County Public Library, which lends less per resident than 67% of systems its size
Groom’s library is the Groom Branch Library, a branch of Carson County Public Library, which serves 5,878 people and lent 19K items last year.
The short version on Groom’s library
Open only about 19 hours a week
The Groom branch keeps short hours: about 19 a week, averaged over the year, so check its schedule before you go. The building ↓
Most programs are for young children
72% of the 138 programs last year were for ages 11 and under, including about 1.6 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; Groom’s library is a branch of Carson County Public Library, so they cover the whole system (5,878 people), not just the Groom branch.
What’s behind Groom’s civic life grade
Groom 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 1 of 8 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people across the U.S.
Carson County Public Library serves 5,878 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000.
Every hour the doors are open, about 4 items go out
Fiscal year 2024, for the whole Carson County Public Library system. The library’s own count.
Mostly books and media off the shelf
19K loans last year: print, kids’ and digital.
3,103 e-books, e-audiobooks and streams last year. Borrow from home with your card, plus research databases: courses, journals, genealogy and more.
About 2 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
Groom Branch Library, 201 Broadway St., Groom.
E-books and audiobooks from home. Research databases: courses, journals, genealogy. Good at every Carson County Public Library branch.
New in Groom? The Handbook →Hours are the survey’s yearly average. Check the library’s own site for today’s hours.
What a library card is worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Groom cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $43. Operating budget $323K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $286K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $323K 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 1,308 cardholders ÷ 12.
What this data can and can’t tell you
From the Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024.
- System-wide. Groom Branch Library is one branch of Carson County Public Library, so the yearly numbers cover every branch and all 5,878 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 Groom
Does Groom have a public library?
Yes: Groom Branch Library, 201 Broadway St., is a branch of Carson County Public Library, which serves 5,878 people. The branch is open about 19 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Carson County 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 Groom’s library?
It logged 2.9 visits and lent 3.2 items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3 visits for libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people.
What is Groom’s civic life grade?
Groom 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 Groom.
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.