Library Cards Are the Hottest Ticket in Town for Rural Kentuckians
Most counties report that well over 50 percent of residents have a library card.
It’s almost impossible to overstate how important public libraries are for rural Kentucky communities, whether they’re providing internet access for elderly populations or early childhood programming for those just beginning to love stories. They’re places for everyone to learn and feel a sense of community, full stop.
Going to the library is so much more than just (amazing) books and media resources, though: it’s often the hottest ticket in town for the latest events and happenings in communities where (free!) gathering spots are few and far between. It’s no wonder, then, that the overwhelming majority of central and eastern Kentuckians are proud, card-carrying library members.
In light of Senate Bill 167—which will assuredly politicize these currently neutral spaces by giving control to local county judge executives and fiscal courts—we decided to calculate what percentage of people in The Goldenrod’s coverage area have a library card. Using 2020 census data and the latest annual report from the Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives, we tallied up the percentage of library card holders, per capita, in each county. The results? More people love libraries than we could’ve imagined.
Click here or above to explore the map interactively!
It’s woefully all-too-common to hear pundits and talking heads espouse how rural Kentucky counties are never-the-twain-shall-meet divided along social and political lines or—perhaps worse yet—apathetic about their communities. But one public good that large chunks of citizens can get behind without bickering and with great zeal? Their local public library, which is why it’s so deeply worrisome that these equitable, accessible safe spaces might become the next pawn in local political games—or disappear altogether. Rural Kentuckians love their libraries, and the powers-that-be have perhaps underestimated the amount of pushback that could follow if these critical services are shifted or interrupted.
A few takeaways:
Powell County is the only county in The Goldenrod’s coverage area to report that less than 20 percent of residents have a library card.
Three counties—Johnson, Owsley and Leslie—report greater than 100 percent of the total number of residents hold library cards. Now, this could be due to population decline or folks not being purged from the system after moving, sure, but it could also mean that residents from other counties are simply using the library system that’s physically closer to them—even if it’s in another county.
While the percentage of residents with a library card seems to hover in the 50-to-60 percent range in the central Kentucky “collar counties” around Lexington, the further south and east you venture, the more likely you are to find counties that are pushing upwards of 70 and 80-percent of residents with a library card.
Important Links:
The Goldenrod’s interactive county-by-county map of library card holders
The data in spreadsheet form, in case that’s your thing
Sources:
2020 census, Kentucky county-by-county populations
Statistical Report of Kentucky Public Libraries, 2019-2020*
*If you’re interested in how libraries in rural Kentucky are already asked to do so much with so little, I would encourage you to explore this document, specifically the staff salaries. For example, the library director in Menifee County makes $15,723 annually, while the same position in Elliott County pays $14,072 and Powell County’s director makes $13,998.
When you use the interactive map, here’s all the data you’ll be able to enjoy!
We’ll be back over the weekend with some first-person perspectives on the new beaver-themed mega-gas-station that opened this week in Madison County. For now, why not ponder on why there hasn’t been a single local news outlet questioning whether or not a giant, out-of-state fueling spot is the kind of “growth” we should cheer on…and re-read our comic from last fall.
