Photo: I, the copyright holder of this work, hereby publish it under the following license: · CC BY-SA 3.0Brandon’s library runs 14 programs per 1,000 residents, against a typical 60 for libraries its size
Brandon Public Library serves Brandon’s 1,318 residents. Last year it lent 5,198 print books and media and drew 385 people to its programs.
The short version on Brandon’s library
A small-town library
Brandon Public Library serves 1,318 residents with about one full-time staff, open about 32 hours a week. It’s compared only with libraries serving under 2,500 people, because per-person numbers always look big in a small town. A year at the library ↓
The library is a National Register landmark
Brandon Village Hall and Library has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 2008. Today’s library there has 1,612 square feet. The building ↓
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; in a town this small, one busy program or a few avid readers move the per-resident numbers.
What’s behind Brandon’s civic life grade
Brandon 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 →
A National Register landmark since 2008
Brandon Public Library, 117 E. Main St., Brandon.
No late fees. E-books and audiobooks from home. Research databases: courses, journals, genealogy.
New in Brandon? The Handbook →Hours are the survey’s yearly average. Check the library’s own site for today’s hours.
Brandon Village Hall and Library
Brandon Village Hall and Library was added to the National Register of Historic Places on Jan 9, 2008. It is significant for its education and politics at the local level. Its architecture is described as Late Victorian.
The Brandon Village Hall and Library is located in Brandon, Wisconsin. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2008.
More about the building →Ahead of most similar-size libraries on 3 of 6 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving under 2,500 people across the U.S.
Brandon Public Library serves 1,318 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving under 2,500.
Every hour the doors are open, about 3 items go out
Fiscal year 2024. The library’s own count.
Not reported for 2024: visits. The survey fills a missing figure with its own estimate; we leave estimates out rather than show them as the library’s count.
Almost half the print loans are kids’ books
5,198 print loans last year. The library didn’t report its e-book and e-audiobook loans.
Each of the 5,207 books and other items on the shelves went out about 1 time last year, on average.
Borrow from home with your card, plus research databases: courses, journals, genealogy and more.
19 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.
children’s books and media borrowed per child under 18 in Brandon last year.
What a library card is worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Brandon cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $54. Operating budget $80K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $80K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $80K 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 494 cardholders ÷ 12.
What this data can and can’t tell you
From the Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024.
- Not reported for 2024: visits. Brandon Public Library didn’t report visits; the survey’s estimate is its own, so we leave it out and never rank it.
- Digital loans not reported. The library didn’t report e-book loans, so borrowing here is print only.
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 Brandon
Does Brandon have a public library?
Yes. Brandon Public Library, 117 E. Main St., serves Brandon’s 1,318 residents (the survey’s count) and is open about 32 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Brandon 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 Brandon’s library?
It lent 3.9 items per resident in 2024 (print) and ran 19 programs that drew 385 people. Visits weren’t reported for 2024.
What is Brandon’s civic life grade?
Brandon 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 Brandon.
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. Building history: National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places; photo via Wikimedia Commons. “What your card is worth” uses typical retail prices and is an estimate, not an official figure.