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Library · Morning Sun

Mellinger Memorial Public Library

Mellinger Memorial Public Library serves Morning Sun’s 1,079 residents. Last year it lent 2,730 books, movies and e-books and logged 4,018 visits.

11 Division St., Morning Sun 52640 · about 34 hours a week
Photo: Nyttend
Borrowed a year
2,730
2.5 per resident
Visits a year
4,018
3.7 per resident · Above typical (3.5)
Programs & events
236
about 5 a week · 3,419 attended
Cardholders
39%
422 cards
Open
34 hrs
a week

What stands out about Mellinger Memorial Public Library

Read from the library’s own yearly report. The page puts what stands out first.

★ What stands out · Kids & programs

About 2 kids’ programs a week

Story times, clubs, classes and events, by who they’re for.

Schools in Morning Sun →

Programs last year by age group

Ages 0–514
Ages 6–1172
Teens6
Adults100
All ages44
Little ones
0.3

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

Kids’ books
4

children’s books and media borrowed per child under 18 in Morning Sun last year.

3,419
people at programs
236
programs
The building

A National Register landmark since 2024

Mellinger Memorial Public Library, 11 Division St., Morning Sun.

34
hours open a week
1,290
square feet
13K
books & media
With a card

No late fees.

New in Morning Sun? The Handbook →

Hours are the survey’s yearly average. Check the library’s own site for today’s hours.

The building’s story

Mellinger Memorial Library

Mellinger Memorial Library was added to the National Register of Historic Places on Sep 16, 2024. It is significant for its architecture at the local level.

More about the building →
What your card is worth

For every $1 it spends, the library lends about $2.11 worth

Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Morning Sun 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
1
Computer & Wi-Fi$3 a session
0
Your card saves you about
$0
a year at retail prices · $0 a month

Who pays for it
$36 per resident a year

Typical for a library this size: $54. Operating budget $38K.

Local taxes 93%State 4%Gifts & other 3%

Last year the library lent and hosted about $81K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $38K 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 422 cardholders ÷ 12.

A year at the library

Every hour the doors are open, about 2 items go out

Fiscal year 2024. The library’s own count.

4,018
visits
3.7 per resident
2,730
loans, print + digital
2.5 per resident
236
programs & events
3,419 attended
422
library cards
39% of people served
Every open hour2items borrowed
Every week66people at a program
Every day3Wi-Fi sessions
1 staff (full-time equivalent)2 public computers13K books & media on the shelves
How it compares

Strongest at program attendance

Per resident, against libraries serving under 2,500 people across the U.S. A tiny town’s library always looks busier per person, so it’s only compared with its own size.

Visits per resident 3.7 visits · typical 3.5Higher than 53%
Borrowing per resident 2.5 print items · typical 3.9Lower than 67%
Kids’ borrowing 0.6 kids’ items · typical 1.4Lower than 74%
Program attendance 3.2 attendees · typical 0.7Top 10%
Programs offered 218.7 per 1,000 residents · typical 60Higher than 89%
Cardholders 39% of residents · typical 54%Lower than 67%
Spending $36 per resident · typical $54Lower than 73%
Fewer per residentMore per resident
In Iowa
#252 of 515

library systems for visits per resident.

Size group

Mellinger Memorial Public Library serves 1,079 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving under 2,500.

What people borrow

Mostly books and media off the shelf

2,730 loans last year: print, kids’ and digital.

2,730loans
Books & media (adults) 77%Kids’ books & media 23%E-books, audio & streaming 0%
How hard the shelves work
0.2×

Each of the 13K books and other items on the shelves went out about 0.2 time last year, on average.

About these numbers

From the Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024.

  • Hours are an average. The survey reports a building’s public hours for the whole year. We divide by the weeks it was open, so check the library’s own site for today’s hours.
  • Compared by size. “Similar-size” means libraries serving about as many people, nationwide. Per-resident numbers always flatter the smallest towns, so they’re never compared with big cities.
  • 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.

Book talk

Reading, story times and the library in Morning Sun.

Town Square →
Weigh in
Is Mellinger Memorial Public Library one of the best things about Morning Sun?

Your answer becomes a post in 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. Building history: National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. “What your card is worth” uses typical retail prices and is an estimate, not an official figure.

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