Libraries in Edwardsville
Edwardsville Public Library serves 26,808 people in and around Edwardsville. Last year it lent 193K books, movies and e-books and logged 98K visits.
What stands out about Edwardsville’s libraries
Read from the library’s own yearly report. The page puts what stands out first.
Every hour the doors are open, about 59 items go out
Fiscal year 2024. The library’s own count.
2 places to borrow in Edwardsville
Edwardsville Public Library, 112 South Kansas Street, Edwardsville.
Hours are the survey’s yearly average. Check the library’s own site for today’s hours.
Other libraries in Edwardsville
Strongest at borrowing per resident
Per resident, against libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people across the U.S. A tiny town’s library always looks busier per person, so it’s only compared with its own size.
library systems for visits per resident.
Edwardsville Public Library serves 26,808 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000.
Mostly books and media off the shelf
193K loans last year: print, kids’ and digital.
Each of the 91K books and other items on the shelves went out about 2.1 times last year, on average.
About 5 kids’ programs a week
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.
For every $1 it spends, the library lends about $2.18 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Edwardsville cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $40. Operating budget $1.6M.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $3.6M worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $1.6M 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 11,665 cardholders ÷ 12.
Libraries next door
Edwardsville ranks 2nd of 4 for borrowing per resident. Tap a town to see its library.
| Town | Library | Loans per resident | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Glen Carbon | Glen Carbon Centennial Library fine-free | 7.2 | 63 |
| Edwardsville | Edwardsville Public Library | 7.2 | 63 |
| Maryville | Maryville Community Library District fine-free | 2.8 | 56 |
| Collinsville | Collinsville Memorial Library Center fine-free | 2.7 | 60 |
| Fort Russell | Bethalto Public Library District | — | 47 |
| Pin Oak | None of its own | — | — |
| Chouteau | None of its own | — | — |
| Pontoon Beach | None of its own | — | — |
Loans = print + digital items borrowed in the library’s fiscal year, per person it serves. — = no library of its own, a county or regional system (its numbers cover many towns), or no report.
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 Edwardsville.
Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.
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.