Crowley Lake’s library is a branch of Mono County Free Library, which lends less per resident than 65% of systems its size
Crowley Lake’s library is the Crowley Community Library, a branch of Mono County Free Library, which serves 12,861 people and lent 52K items last year.
What Crowley Lake’s library is like
More library cards than residents
16,168 cards for 12,861 people. Cards held by people from outside the service area count too, so the total can pass the population. At the typical library serving 10,000 to 25,000 people, it’s 40%. How it compares ↓
Open only about 17 hours a week
The Crowley Lake branch keeps short hours: about 17 a week, averaged over the year, so check its schedule before you go. The building ↓
Twice the programs of a typical library its size
The Mono County Free Library system ran 781 programs last year, about 15 a week. That’s 61 per 1,000 residents, against a typical 24. Kids & programs ↓
Most programs are for young children
75% of the 781 programs last year were for ages 11 and under, including about 5.8 a week for ages 0–5. Kids & programs ↓
A well-funded system
The Mono County Free Library system spends $128 per resident a year, about three times the typical $43 for a library its size. Almost all of it (93%) comes from local taxes. What your card is worth ↓
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; Crowley Lake’s library is a branch of Mono County Free Library, so they cover the whole system (12,861 people), not just the Crowley Lake branch.
What’s behind Crowley Lake’s civic life grade
Crowley Lake isn’t graded on civic life: it’s unincorporated, so its nonprofits can’t be counted reliably (mailing addresses don’t follow its boundary) and its library is a branch of Mono County Free Library, so there is no town figure for visits.
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 →
Volunteering in Crowley Lake
Crowley Lake is unincorporated, so its nonprofits aren’t counted: they file by mailing address, which doesn’t follow its boundary.
6.1%
6.1% of Crowley Lake’s Facebook users aged 25–44 belong to a volunteering or activism group, against 5.9% in the typical California town and 7.5% nationally.
Volunteering: Social Capital Atlas (Opportunity Insights), from data by Meta Platforms, Inc.; Chetty et al., Nature 2022. ZIP-code figures, weighted by where Crowley Lake’s residents live; 2022.
About 11 kids’ programs a week
Story times, clubs, classes and events, across the whole system, by who they’re for.
Programs last year by age group
story times and programs a week for ages 0–5, on average.
Ahead of most similar-size libraries on 6 of 8 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000 people across the U.S.
Mono County Free Library serves 12,861 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000.
Every hour the doors are open, about 6 items go out
Fiscal year 2024, for the whole Mono County Free Library system. The library’s own count.
Mostly books and media off the shelf
52K loans last year: print, kids’ and digital.
15,855 e-books, e-audiobooks and streams last year. Borrow from home with your card, plus research databases: courses, journals, genealogy and more.
Find it
Crowley Community Library, 3627 Crowley Lake Drive, Crowley Lake.
No late fees. E-books and audiobooks from home. Research databases: courses, journals, genealogy. Good at every Mono County Free Library branch.
New in Crowley Lake? The Handbook →Hours are the survey’s yearly average. Check the library’s own site for today’s hours.
What a library card is worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Crowley Lake cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $43. Operating budget $1.6M.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $916K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $1.6M 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 16,168 cardholders ÷ 12.
What this data can and can’t tell you
From the Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024.
- System-wide. Crowley Community Library is one branch of Mono County Free Library, so the yearly numbers cover every branch and all 12,861 people it serves.
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 Crowley Lake
Does Crowley Lake have a public library?
Yes: Crowley Community Library, 3627 Crowley Lake Drive, is a branch of Mono County Free Library, which serves 12,861 people. The branch is open about 17 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Mono County Free Library fine-free? Does it lend e-books?
Yes to both: no late fees, and e-books, audiobooks and research databases with a card (the library’s 2024 survey report).
How busy is Crowley Lake’s library?
It logged 4.9 visits and lent 4.1 items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3.1 visits for libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000 people.
What is Crowley Lake’s civic life grade?
Crowley Lake isn’t graded on civic life: it’s unincorporated, so its nonprofits can’t be counted reliably (mailing addresses don’t follow its boundary) and its library is a branch of Mono County Free Library, so there is no town figure for visits. How it works.
Book talk
Reading, story times and the library in Crowley Lake.
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.