Library · Big Rapids
Big Rapids Community Library
Big Rapids’s library is the Big Rapids Community Library, a branch of Big Rapids Community Library, open about 36 hours a week.
IMLS Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024Regional system. Big Rapids’s branch belongs to Big Rapids Community Library, which serves 11,332 people. The yearly numbers below are for the whole system, not just this branch. A card works at every branch.
Your branch
Big Rapids Community Library
426 South Michigan Avenue, Big Rapids 49307
36 hrsopen a week
13,982sq 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 Big Rapids Community Library
36K
visits
3.1 per resident
112K
loans, print + digital
9.8 per resident
249
programs & events
6,859 attended
2,702
library cards
24% of people served
How it compares
Against libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000 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
3.1 visits · typical 3.1
Higher than 51% of similar-size libraries
Borrowing per resident
7.9 print items · typical 3.9
Higher than 83% of similar-size libraries
Digital borrowing
1.9 e-items · typical 1.1
Higher than 72% of similar-size libraries
Kids’ borrowing
2.1 kids’ items · typical 1.8
Higher than 56% of similar-size libraries
Program attendance
0.6 attendees · typical 0.4
Higher than 67% of similar-size libraries
Cardholders
24% of residents
Lower than most similar-size libraries (20th percentile)
Borrowing & programs
What people use it for
What people borrow
112K loans last year
Books & media (adults)60%Kids’ books & media21%E-books, audio & streaming19%
Who the programs are for
249 story times, classes, clubs and events
Money
Who pays for it
$30 per resident a year
Typical for a library this size: $43. Operating budget $342K.
Local 94%State 3%Gifts & other 3%
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.