Library · Forest
Forest Public Library
Forest’s library is the Forest Public Library, a branch of Central Mississippi Regional Library, open about 46 hours a week.
IMLS Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024Multi-county system. Forest’s branch belongs to Central Mississippi Regional Library, which serves 227,738 people. The yearly numbers below are for the whole system, not just this branch. A card works at every branch.
Your branch
Forest Public Library
210 South Raleigh Street, Forest 39074
46 hrsopen a week
14,120sq ft
Charges late finesLate fees on some overdue items
E-books & audiobooksBorrow from home with your card
Research databasesOnline courses, journals, genealogy and more
Fiscal year 2024
A year at Central Mississippi Regional Library
388K
visits
1.7 per resident
596K
loans, print + digital
2.6 per resident
6,724
programs & events
160K attended
182K
library cards
80% 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
1.7 visits · typical 2.1
A little below typical (34th percentile)
Borrowing per resident
1.7 print items · typical 3.2
Lower than most similar-size libraries (19th percentile)
Digital borrowing
0.9 e-items · typical 1.4
A little below typical (35th percentile)
Kids’ borrowing
0.7 kids’ items · typical 1.6
Lower than most similar-size libraries (17th percentile)
Program attendance
0.7 attendees · typical 0.2
Top 10% of similar-size libraries
Cardholders
80% of residents
Top 10% of similar-size libraries
Borrowing & programs
What people use it for
What people borrow
596K loans last year
Books & media (adults)39%Kids’ books & media27%E-books, audio & streaming34%
Who the programs are for
6,724 story times, classes, clubs and events
Money
Who pays for it
$11 per resident a year
Typical for a library this size: $36. Operating budget $2.4M.
Local 81%State 14%Federal 0%Gifts & other 4%
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.