Library · Bowman
Bowman-Geraldine Matthews Branch
Bowman’s library is the Bowman-Geraldine Matthews Branch, a branch of Orangeburg County Library Commission, open about 18 hours a week.
IMLS Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024County system. Bowman’s branch belongs to Orangeburg County Library Commission, which serves 84,223 people. The yearly numbers below are for the whole system, not just this branch. A card works at every branch.
Your branch
Bowman-Geraldine Matthews Branch
7105 Charleston Highway, Bowman 29018
18 hrsopen a week
4,000sq 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 Orangeburg County Library Commission
150K
visits
1.8 per resident
114K
loans, print + digital
1.4 per resident
626
programs & events
22K attended
54K
library cards
64% 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
1.8 visits · typical 2.6
A little below typical (30th percentile)
Borrowing per resident
1.4 print items · typical 3.7
Lower than most similar-size libraries (18th percentile)
Kids’ borrowing
0.5 kids’ items · typical 1.7
Lower than most similar-size libraries (18th percentile)
Program attendance
0.3 attendees · typical 0.3
A little below typical (39th percentile)
Cardholders
64% of residents
Higher than 82% of similar-size libraries
Borrowing & programs
What people use it for
What people borrow
114K loans last year
Books & media (adults)59%Kids’ books & media41%E-books, audio & streaming0%
Who the programs are for
626 story times, classes, clubs and events
Money
Who pays for it
$27 per resident a year
Typical for a library this size: $40. Operating budget $2.3M.
Local 86%State 10%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.