Library · Blue Earth
Blue Earth Community Library
Blue Earth’s library is the Blue Earth Community Library, a branch of Blue Earth Community Library, open about 49 hours a week.
IMLS Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024Multi-county system. Blue Earth’s branch belongs to Blue Earth Community Library, which serves 6,042 people. The yearly numbers below are for the whole system, not just this branch. A card works at every branch.
Your branch
Blue Earth Community Library
124 West 7th Street, Blue Earth 56013
49 hrsopen a week
6,272sq 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 Blue Earth Community Library
21K
visits
3.5 per resident
30K
loans, print + digital
5.0 per resident
256
programs & events
2,270 attended
1,564
library cards
26% of people served
How it compares
Against libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 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
3.5 visits · typical 3.0
Higher than 57% of similar-size libraries
Borrowing per resident
4.2 print items · typical 3.8
Higher than 55% of similar-size libraries
Digital borrowing
0.8 e-items · typical 1.0
A little below typical (41th percentile)
Kids’ borrowing
2.1 kids’ items · typical 1.6
Higher than 62% of similar-size libraries
Program attendance
0.4 attendees · typical 0.5
A little below typical (40th percentile)
Cardholders
26% of residents
Lower than most similar-size libraries (23th percentile)
Borrowing & programs
What people use it for
What people borrow
30K loans last year
Books & media (adults)42%Kids’ books & media42%E-books, audio & streaming15%
Who the programs are for
256 story times, classes, clubs and events
Money
Who pays for it
$41 per resident a year
Typical for a library this size: $43. Operating budget $249K.
Local 100%
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.