Winchester Public Library

What Winchester Public Library does

Winchester Public Library is a single-location, government-operated public library serving Winchester, Kansas, Jefferson Township, and the broader Jefferson County community. Operating from 203 4th Street in Winchester under the governance of a Board of Trustees, the library is staffed by a Library Director (Laura Chrisman), two librarians (Alyssa Covell, Kristie Scrivner), and supporting personnel, and is one of seven public libraries in Jefferson County. Its service population is anchored by Winchester's 447 residents and is extended to visitors and the wider county through community programming.

The library's core offering combines a physical collection of more than 9,000 books and DVDs with an integrated digital catalog powered by the Aspen Discovery platform (ByWater Solutions, v. 26.07.02) operating within the NextKansas consortium. Patrons gain free access to e-books and audiobooks via the Libby/OverDrive Kansas Sunflower Consortium, streaming media through Hoopla, digital magazines through Flipster (EBSCO), and supplementary e-books via Cloud Library and Freading (State Library of Kansas). Resource breadth is materially extended through the Kansas Library Express and Kansas State Library Share-It interlibrary loan programs, which connect cardholders to materials from over 100 public, academic, and state libraries across Kansas. On-site amenities include 24/7 WiFi (extending beyond the building), MAC and Windows public computers, an Early Literacy Learning Station, a makerspace, and a butterfly garden.

The business model is non-commercial: all public services are free to community members, with funding derived from local public taxation and voluntary donations processed through the Northeast Kansas Library Foundation. Go-to-market is community-led — driven by the monthly Winchester Connects newsletter (jointly with the City of Winchester, JCN USD 339, and Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce), local partnerships, events including the annual Festival of Trees & Silent Auction and the Summer Reading Program, and accreditation by the Northeast Kansas Library System. The library also operates the Lindsay Room as a free community meeting facility and maintains a research portfolio spanning Gale databases, Britannica, Fold3 genealogy, HeritageQuest, ChiltonLibrary, and Kansas-specific government and historical records.

Name

Winchester Public Library

Legal name

Winchester Public Library

Website

https://winchesterlibrary.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Winchester Public Library is a government-operated single-location public library in Winchester, Kansas, serving residents of Winchester, Jefferson Township, and Jefferson County with free physical and digital lending, interlibrary loan access to 100+ Kansas libraries, community programming, and a makerspace.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Library Services

NAICS

Libraries and Archives (51921), Libraries and Archives (519210)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Library Operations & Community Branch Management (EDAEAGAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Public Libraries & Information Services (BPAIACAO)

Keywords

• Public library services
• Community programming
• Digital media lending
• Interlibrary loans
• Educational resources

Headquarters

HQ city

Winchester, Kansas

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Public Library Services: Free public library services funded by public taxation and donations. No direct revenue generation from patrons.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Winchester Public Library is a publicly funded municipal library that provides free access to a physical collection of over 9,000 books and DVDs, complemented by digital lending services including e-books, audiobooks, streaming media, and digital magazines. The library also offers free WiFi, public computers, interlibrary loan services, community room rentals, makerspace access, and educational programs such as the annual Summer Reading Program and Festival of Trees event for the Winchester, Jefferson Township, and Jefferson County community.

Product overview

Winchester Public Library is a single-location public library serving Winchester, KS and the Jefferson County community. The library offers a physical collection of over 9,000 books and DVDs, enhanced by digital services including Libby by Overdrive (e-books and audiobooks), Hoopla (streaming media), Flipster (digital magazines), Cloud Library, and Freading. The library provides free WiFi, public computers with an Early Literacy Learning Station, interlibrary loan services connecting to over 100 Kansas libraries, community room rental (Lindsay Room), makerspace, and diverse programming including the annual Summer Reading Program and Festival of Trees. Research resources include Gale databases, Britannica, genealogy tools, and Kansas-specific information. The collection is managed through the Aspen Discovery platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Physical Library Collection On-site collection of over 9,000 books and DVDs available for checkout to community members, complemented by a butterfly garden, makerspace, and community spaces.

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Northeast Kansas Library SystemcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAccrediting body for the library system. Winchester Public Library is accredited by the Northeast Kansas Library System.
• Kansas Library AssociationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessional membership organization for Kansas libraries.
• Jefferson County Chamber of CommerceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal chamber membership supporting community engagement.
• Kansas Library ExpresscoreTechnology or IntegrationInterlibrary loan program enabling access to books, movies, videogames, and special collections from public, academic, and other state libraries throughout Kansas.
• Kansas State Library Share-ItcoreTechnology or IntegrationStatewide interlibrary loan program with over 100 participating libraries for shared resource access.
• Kansas Sunflower Consortium (Libby/OverDrive)coreTechnology or IntegrationE-book and audiobook consortium providing digital media through the Libby app by OverDrive.
• Flipster (EBSCO)coreTechnology or IntegrationDigital magazine platform providing unlimited access to several magazines for cardholders.
• State Library of Kansas (Cloud Library, Freading)coreTechnology or IntegrationState library digital resources including Cloud Library and Freading for e-books.
• ByWater SolutionscoreTechnology or IntegrationProvider of Aspen Discovery platform powering the library's online catalog and website.
• Northeast Kansas Library FoundationminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAccepts online financial donations on behalf of Winchester Public Library, forwarding funds directly to the library minus processing fee.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Others

• Northeast Kansas Library System: Regional library system that accredits and supports member libraries in northeast Kansas, including Winchester Public Library. Comparable as the governing/coordination body providing shared services, training, and accreditation within the same operating geography.
• OverDrive (Libby): Digital lending platform powering the Libby app used by Winchester Public Library via the Kansas Sunflower consortium. Comparable as the underlying technology provider for the library's e-book and audiobook service, and the platform through which the library's digital collection is delivered.
• ByWater Solutions: Provider of the Aspen Discovery platform that powers Winchester Public Library's catalog and discovery interface. Comparable as the core infrastructure vendor whose product directly determines the library's digital user experience.

Broad incumbents

• Johnson County Library: Multi-branch public library system in suburban Johnson County, Kansas. Comparable as a Kansas public library with shared consortium participation, digital lending platforms, and community programming, but operating at significantly larger scale with multiple branches.
• Brooklyn Public Library: Urban public library system in Brooklyn, NY offering lending, digital media, and community programming to a free public user base. Comparable in service portfolio and tax-funded model, though at much larger urban scale.
• Kansas City Public Library: Large urban public library system serving Kansas City, Missouri with multiple branches, digital lending, and community programming. Comparable as a Kansas-Missouri regional public library serving free public services funded by taxation, but operates at materially larger scale.
• New York Public Library: Iconic U.S. public library system offering lending, digital media, community programming, and free public WiFi/computers funded by a mix of public and private support. Comparable in service categories but operates at metropolitan scale with vastly larger budget and collection.
• Chicago Public Library: One of the largest U.S. public library systems, providing free lending, digital media, makerspaces, and community programming funded by public taxation. Comparable in offering mix and tax-funded model, but operates at city-scale rather than rural-town scale.

Direct peers

• Lawrence Public Library: Public library serving Lawrence, Kansas. Direct peer operating within the same Northeast Kansas Library System accreditation framework, accessing the same Kansas Sunflower/Libby consortium, and serving a similar mix of community programming and digital lending use cases.
• Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library: Kansas-based public library system serving Topeka and Shawnee County. Direct peer sharing state-level consortium membership (Kansas Sunflower), NEKLS-adjacent governance structures, and identical offerings across physical lending, digital media, and community programming.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/winchester-public-library

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Winchester Public Library