Gustavus’ library lends 15 print items per resident, against a typical 3.9 for libraries its size
Gustavus Public Library serves Gustavus’s 655 residents. Last year it lent 13K books, movies and e-books and logged 5,699 visits.
Gustavus’s library, in brief
Gustavus uses its library more than almost any town its size
Gustavus Public Library logs 8.7 visits per resident, against a typical 3.5 for libraries serving under 2,500 people, and lends 15 print items per resident against a typical 3.9. On both counts it beats 86% of similar-size libraries across the U.S. How it compares ↓
Five times the programs of a typical library its size
Gustavus Public Library ran 184 programs last year, about 4 a week. That’s 281 per 1,000 residents, against a typical 60. People show up: 2,106 attended. Kids & programs ↓
More library cards than residents
652 cards for 655 people. Cards held by people from outside the service area count too, so the total can pass the population. At the typical library serving under 2,500 people, it’s 54%. How it compares ↓
Kids borrow more here than almost anywhere
Children’s books and media are 49% of print loans, and kids’ borrowing per resident is higher than at 95% of similar-size libraries. That works out to about 41 items per child in Gustavus last year. Kids & programs ↓
A small-town library
Gustavus Public Library serves 655 residents with about one full-time staff, open about 26 hours a week. It’s compared only with libraries serving under 2,500 people, because per-person numbers always look big in a small town. A year at the library ↓
This summary is written from the numbers on this page. Numbers are the library’s own report to the Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024; in a town this small, one busy program or a few avid readers move the per-resident numbers.
What’s behind Gustavus’ civic life grade
Gustavus isn’t graded on civic life: TownRatings grades towns of 1,000 residents or more.
Civic life counts registered nonprofits, library visits and online volunteering groups, so it can miss civic life that runs through congregations, mutual aid or neighbors looking out for each other.
Library visits: IMLS Public Libraries Survey, FY2024. Nonprofits: IRS Exempt Organizations Business Master File, October 2026. Volunteering: Social Capital Atlas (Opportunity Insights), from data by Meta Platforms, Inc.; Chetty et al., Nature 2022. How TownRatings grades civic life →
About 1 kids’ program a week
Story times, clubs, classes and events, by who they’re for.
Programs last year by age group
story times and programs a week for ages 0–5, on average.
children’s books and media borrowed per child under 18 in Gustavus last year.
Ahead of most similar-size libraries on all 8 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving under 2,500 people across the U.S.
Gustavus Public Library serves 655 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving under 2,500.
Every hour the doors are open, about 9 items go out
Fiscal year 2024. The library’s own count.
Almost half the print loans are kids’ books
13K loans last year: print, kids’ and digital.
Each of the 16K books and other items on the shelves went out about 0.6 time last year, on average.
2,664 e-books, e-audiobooks and streams last year. Borrow from home with your card.
Find it
Gustavus Public Library, 14 Gustavus Road, Gustavus.
Hours are the survey’s yearly average. Check the library’s own site for today’s hours.
For every $1 it spends, the library lends about $1.51 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Gustavus cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $54. Operating budget $148K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $223K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $148K budget.
Fine-free. No late fees on books returned late.
Retail prices are typical, rounded down: a new book $17, a kids’ book $12, an e-book or e-audiobook $15, a movie rental $4, a class or program $10, a computer or Wi-Fi session $3. The average cardholder’s month = the library’s yearly loans, attendance and Wi-Fi sessions ÷ its 652 cardholders ÷ 12.
What this data can and can’t tell you
From the Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024.
- The library’s own count. Libraries report their own visits, loans and programs. A library that didn’t respond keeps its address and hours here, with no numbers.
Hours are the survey’s yearly average; libraries are compared with others serving about as many people. How TownRatings uses library figures →
Questions about the library and civic life in Gustavus
Does Gustavus have a public library?
Yes. Gustavus Public Library, 14 Gustavus Road, serves Gustavus’ 655 residents (the survey’s count) and is open about 26 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Gustavus Public Library fine-free? Does it lend e-books?
Yes to both: no late fees, and e-books, audiobooks with a card (the library’s 2024 survey report).
How busy is Gustavus’ library?
It logged 8.7 visits and lent 19.4 items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3.5 visits for libraries serving under 2,500 people.
What is Gustavus’ civic life grade?
Gustavus isn’t graded on civic life: TownRatings grades towns of 1,000 residents or more. How it works.
Book talk
Reading, story times and the library in Gustavus.
Libraries: Institute of Museum and Library Services, Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024. Each library reports its own numbers. Distances are straight-line from the town center. “What your card is worth” uses typical retail prices and is an estimate, not an official figure.