Owen County Public Library

What Owen County Public Library does

Owen County Public Library (OCPL) is a county-government public library located at 10 South Montgomery Street in Spencer, Indiana, serving the residents of Owen County. Founded in 1884 and reconstituted in 1906 through a citizen subscription of $388.05 that convinced the Town Board to institute a library tax, the institution has operated continuously for over a century, including a Carnegie-funded building opened in 1912 and relocation to the former Owen County State Bank building in 1995. Governance rests with a Board of Trustees, and the library is led by its 16th Director, Ginger Rogers, hired in 2013.

The library operates as a multi-departmental community institution offering physical and digital collections, public computer access (eight internet-connected stations), meeting and study rooms, genealogy research (with archives housed in the original bank vault and access to Heritage Quest and Ancestry Library Edition), adult education through the adjacent Lifelong Learning Center (GED/HSE prep, CompTIA A+, IT Fundamentals, Excel, QuickBooks, ServSafe, Salesforce, and HVAC coming soon), 3D printing via Original Prusa MINI+, remote printing via Princh, and youth and teen programming (story times, Teen Room, retro game nights, anime afternoons). Underlying technology comprises a SirsiDynix Integrated Library System, digital lending through Libby/OverDrive and Kanopy, Princh print management, and a 2012 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter Bookmobile making eleven named rural stops Tuesday through Friday.

The business model is government-funded and not commercial: the library is sustained primarily by a dedicated library property tax instituted in 1906, with nominal transaction revenue from printing ($0.25/page B&W, $0.50/page color) and 3D printing ($1.00/hour, $0.50 minimum). All core services — library card, programs, classes, events, public computers, and digital lending — are free to Owen County residents. Distribution relies on the main branch (open six days/week), Bookmobile outreach to underserved rural populations, and 24/7 online access to digital services and the SirsiDynix catalog. Customer segments span children and families, teens (ages 11–18), adult general public, genealogists and family historians, adult education seekers, and rural/underserved populations; there is no commercial sales motion.

Name

Owen County Public Library

Legal name

Owen County Public Library

Website

https://owenlib.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1884

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Owen County Public Library (OCPL) is a tax-funded government public library in Spencer, Indiana serving Owen County residents with free physical and digital collections, genealogy research, adult education and certifications, 3D printing, and bookmobile outreach to rural communities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Library Services

NAICS

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

akta.pro primary industry

Public Libraries & Information Services (BPAIACAO)

akta.pro secondary industries

Public Library Operations & Community Branch Management (EDAEAGAC), Library-Based Learning Programs (Public Libraries) (EDAAAFAA), Library Collections & Cataloging Services (Acquisitions, Metadata, Circulation) (EDAEAGAE), Digital Library & Electronic Resources Operations (e-Resources, Repositories, Licensing) (EDAEAGAF)

Keywords

• Public library services
• Community education programs
• Digital media lending
• Adult education training
• Genealogy research resources

Headquarters

HQ city

Spencer

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Public Library Funding: Funded primarily through local property taxes and library tax levies. A citizen-led subscription of $388.05 in 1906 initially convinced the Town Board to institute a library tax of three cents per $100 of taxable property. Services are free to Owen County residents.
2. Printing and 3D Printing Fees: Nominal fees for printing services: $0.25 per page black-and-white, $0.50 per page color. 3D printing at $1.00 per hour. Minimal revenue stream supplementing free services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Owen County Public Library delivers free public library services to Owen County, Indiana residents, including physical and digital media lending, public computer and internet access, meeting/study spaces, genealogy research, 3D printing, remote printing, and adult education. A Bookmobile extends services to underserved rural areas, and digital platforms (Libby, Kanopy, INSPIRE) provide 24/7 remote access.

Product overview

Owen County Public Library operates as a single-facility public library offering a unified mix of physical and digital services. The core offering centers on the physical collection (books, movies, audiobooks, magazines) and public computer access on the main floor, complemented by reservable meeting and study rooms. Digital services include Libby for ebook/audiobook lending, Kanopy streaming video, and INSPIRE statewide research databases. The library provides specialized departments for genealogy research and adult education (GED, career certifications), plus a Bookmobile outreach service. 3D printing and remote printing via Princh round out the maker and utility services. All programs are free with library membership.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Lifelong Learning Center: Adult education facility adjacent to the main library offering free classes for GED/HSE preparation, career certifications, and computer skills training.

Products and services

• Owen County Public Library Main Collection Physical collection of books, movies, audiobooks, magazines, and newspapers available for checkout from the main floor of the library, free to Owen County residents with a library card.
• Public Computer Access Eight public internet-connected computers available on the main floor for patron use, free with library card.
• Meeting and Study Rooms Meeting and study spaces available for reservation, including a community room, activity room, hearth room, and quiet study areas.
• 3D Printing Service 3D printing using an Original Prusa MINI+ printer. Patrons submit STL or OBJ files; staff handle printing at $1.00 per hour of print time with a $0.50 minimum. Supports PLA, PETG, and TPU materials with a 180x180x180mm build volume.
• Libby (Ebooks and Audiobooks) Digital lending platform via the Libby app for ebooks and audiobooks accessible on phones, tablets, or Kindle. Free with library card.
• Kanopy Streaming Service Streaming service for critically-acclaimed films, documentaries, and kids' shows. No ads, no rental fees. Free with library card.
• INSPIRE Indiana Research Databases Indiana's statewide research hub offering hundreds of databases covering newspapers, journals, business research, genealogy, and health. Free to all Indiana residents, no library card required.
• Genealogy Department Family history research resources housed in the original bank vault, including newspaper archives on microfilm dating back to 1888, local yearbooks, family records, microfilm scanner, Heritage Quest Online, and Ancestry Library Edition.
• Adult Education / Lifelong Learning Center
• Bookmobile Outreach Service Mercedes-Benz Sprinter mobile library service making weekly stops throughout Owen County at Whitehall, Freedom Baptist, Cunot, Patricksburg, Coal City, Owen Valley Health Campus, Kingston Ridge, Gosport, Greenbriar, Sweet Owen Manor, and McCormick's Creek Tuesday through Friday, providing full library services including borrowing, returns, and card sign-up.
• Remote Printing Service (Princh) Black-and-white ($0.25/page) and color ($0.50/page) printing service allowing patrons to send print jobs remotely from their own devices via the Princh platform.

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Indiana University Museum of Archaeology and AnthropologyminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 July 2026The IU Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology provides educational presentations at the library. On July 21, 2026, they delivered an archaeology presentation to adult patrons.
• Heritage Quest OnlinecoreTechnology or IntegrationPowered by Ancestry.com, Heritage Quest provides census records, Revolutionary War records, military records, Freedman's Bank records for patron genealogy research. Free with library card.
• Ancestry Library EditioncoreTechnology or IntegrationFull Ancestry Library Edition accessible via library subscription for patron use in genealogy research.
• INSPIRE (Indiana's Research Databases)coreTechnology or IntegrationStatewide research hub providing hundreds of databases covering newspapers, journals, business research, learning, genealogy, health. Free to all Indiana residents, no library card required.
• Libby/OverDrivecoreTechnology or IntegrationE-book and audiobook lending platform. Patrons borrow digital content to phones, tablets, or Kindle.
• KanopycoreTechnology or IntegrationStreaming service for critically-acclaimed films, documentaries, and kids' shows. No ads, no rental fees with library card.
• Owen County SchoolsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBookmobile visits Patricksburg Elementary School and other schools on a separate schedule for student outreach.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves12 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Greene County Public Library: Indiana county public library serving Bloomfield and Greene County. Comparable rural Indiana scale, comparable statewide-platform digital offerings, and similar bookmobile/outreach orientation to underserved areas.
• Monroe County Public Library: Indiana county public library serving Bloomington and Monroe County. Same state, same county-level public-library mission, comparable mix of physical collection, digital lending (Libby/OverDrive, Kanopy), maker services, and adult programming.
• Bartholomew County Public Library: Indiana county public library serving Columbus and Bartholomew County. Similar county-government-funded model, comparable mix of physical/digital services, and shared reliance on INSPIRE and Libby/OverDrive.
• Vigo County Public Library: Indiana county public library serving Terre Haute and Vigo County. Larger Indiana county library operating with similar public-service mix, including genealogy, adult education, and digital lending partnerships.
• Putnam County Public Library: Indiana county public library serving Greencastle and Putnam County. Similar rural-county demographic profile, similar reliance on property-tax funding, and comparable branch/outreach footprint.
• Brown County Public Library: Indiana county public library serving Nashville and Brown County. Small, rural county adjacent to Owen, similar service scope (physical collection, digital lending, community programming) and similar tax-funding model.
• Johnson County Public Library: Indiana county public library serving Franklin and Johnson County. Same statewide digital platforms, comparable mix of adult education, youth services, and meeting-space programming for a county-scale community.
• Morgan County Public Library: Indiana county public library serving Martinsville and Morgan County. Comparable small/rural county scale, similar community-embedded service model, and overlapping digital platform usage (Libby, Kanopy, Ancestry Library).

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/OWENCPL
• Instagraminstagram.com/owenlib_spencerin
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/owen-county-public-library

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 Owen County Public Library