Elk Creek’s library is a branch of Orland Free Library, which lends less per resident than 82% of systems its size
Elk Creek’s library is the Elk Creek Branch Library, a branch of Orland Free Library, which serves 16,073 people and lent 32K items last year.
The short version on Elk Creek’s library
Programs are almost all for children
99% of the 87 programs last year were for ages 11 and under, including 40 for ages 0–5. Kids & programs ↓
Open only about 12 hours a week
The Elk Creek branch keeps short hours: about 12 a week, averaged over the year, so check its schedule before you go. The building ↓
The Orland Free Library system is used less than most libraries its size
The Orland Free Library system records 1.3 visits per resident, against a typical 3.1 for libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000 people. Borrowing is 1.6 print items per resident, against a typical 3.9. How it compares ↓
Few programs for a library this size
The Orland Free Library system offered 87 programs last year, 5.4 per 1,000 residents against a typical 24. Kids & programs ↓
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; Elk Creek’s library is a branch of Orland Free Library, so they cover the whole system (16,073 people), not just the Elk Creek branch.
What’s behind Elk Creek’s civic life grade
Elk Creek 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 →
Ahead of most similar-size libraries on 1 of 8 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000 people across the U.S.
Orland Free Library serves 16,073 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000.
Every hour the doors are open, about 9 items go out
Fiscal year 2024, for the whole Orland Free Library system. The library’s own count.
Mostly books and media off the shelf
32K loans last year: print, kids’ and digital.
6,497 e-books, e-audiobooks and streams last year. Borrow from home with your card.
About 2 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.
Find it
Elk Creek Branch Library, 3434 County Road 309, Elk Creek.
No late fees. E-books and audiobooks from home. Good at every Orland Free Library branch.
New in Elk Creek? 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 Elk Creek cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $43. Operating budget $559K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $497K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $559K 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 10,587 cardholders ÷ 12.
What this data can and can’t tell you
From the Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024.
- System-wide. Elk Creek Branch Library is one branch of Orland Free Library, so the yearly numbers cover every branch and all 16,073 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 Elk Creek
Does Elk Creek have a public library?
Yes: Elk Creek Branch Library, 3434 County Road 309, is a branch of Orland Free Library, which serves 16,073 people. The branch is open about 12 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Orland Free 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 Elk Creek’s library?
It logged 1.3 visits and lent 2.0 items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3.1 visits for libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000 people.
What is Elk Creek’s civic life grade?
Elk Creek 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 Elk Creek.
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.