Library · Bay
Alice and Jack Wirt Public Library
Bay’s library is the Alice and Jack Wirt Public Library, a branch of Bay County Library System, open about 56 hours a week.
IMLS Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024County system. Bay’s branch belongs to Bay County Library System, which serves 103,758 people. The yearly numbers below are for the whole system, not just this branch. A card works at every branch.
Your branch
Alice and Jack Wirt Public Library
500 Center Avenue, Bay City 48708
56 hrsopen a week
62,000sq ft
Fine-freeNo late fees on books returned late
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 Bay County Library System
238K
visits
2.3 per resident
650K
loans, print + digital
6.3 per resident
1,783
programs & events
60K attended
45K
library cards
43% of people served
How it compares
Against libraries serving 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
2.3 visits · typical 2.1
Higher than 56% of similar-size libraries
Borrowing per resident
5.4 print items · typical 3.2
Higher than 74% of similar-size libraries
Digital borrowing
0.8 e-items · typical 1.4
A little below typical (32th percentile)
Kids’ borrowing
2.5 kids’ items · typical 1.6
Higher than 69% of similar-size libraries
Program attendance
0.6 attendees · typical 0.2
Top 10% of similar-size libraries
Cardholders
43% of residents
Higher than 53% of similar-size libraries
Borrowing & programs
What people use it for
What people borrow
650K loans last year
Books & media (adults)47%Kids’ books & media40%E-books, audio & streaming14%
Who the programs are for
1,783 story times, classes, clubs and events
Money
Who pays for it
$62 per resident a year
Typical for a library this size: $36. Operating budget $6.5M.
Local 94%State 2%Gifts & other 4%
Locations
Other Bay County Library System branches in Bay
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.