Library · Battle Creek
Willard Public Library
Battle Creek’s library is the Willard Public Library, a branch of Willard Public Library, open about 61 hours a week.
IMLS Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024Multi-county system. Battle Creek’s branch belongs to Willard Public Library, which serves 90,179 people. The yearly numbers below are for the whole system, not just this branch. A card works at every branch.
Your branch
Willard Public Library
7 West Van Buren Street, Battle Creek 49017
61 hrsopen a week
55,000sq ft
Charges late finesLate fees on some overdue items
E-books & audiobooksBorrow from home with your card
Auto-renews loansBooks renew on their own if no one’s waiting
Research databasesOnline courses, journals, genealogy and more
Fiscal year 2024
A year at Willard Public Library
203K
visits
2.2 per resident
674K
loans, print + digital
7.5 per resident
872
programs & events
20K attended
25K
library cards
27% of people served
How it compares
Against libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people
Per-resident numbers, compared only with libraries of a similar size across the country, because a tiny town’s library always looks busier per person.
Visits per resident
2.2 visits · typical 2.6
A little below typical (42th percentile)
Borrowing per resident
5.2 print items · typical 3.7
Higher than 64% of similar-size libraries
Digital borrowing
2.3 e-items · typical 1.2
Higher than 78% of similar-size libraries
Kids’ borrowing
1.3 kids’ items · typical 1.7
A little below typical (41th percentile)
Program attendance
0.2 attendees · typical 0.3
A little below typical (31th percentile)
Cardholders
27% of residents
A little below typical (25th percentile)
Borrowing & programs
What people use it for
What people borrow
674K loans last year
Books & media (adults)52%Kids’ books & media18%E-books, audio & streaming31%
Who the programs are for
872 story times, classes, clubs and events
Money
Who pays for it
$75 per resident a year
Typical for a library this size: $40. Operating budget $6.8M.
Local 87%State 2%Gifts & other 11%
Locations
Other Willard Public Library branches in Battle Creek
About these numbers
How to read this page
Hours are an averageThe 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.
One year, the library’s own countLibraries report their own visits, loans and programs for fiscal year 2024. A library that didn’t respond keeps its address and hours here, with no numbers.
Source: Institute of Museum and Library Services, Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024. Distances are straight-line from the town center.