Tioga Pass Entrance Station · Photo: National Park Service · Public domainLee Vining’s library is a branch of Mono County Free Library, which lends less per resident than 65% of systems its size
Lee Vining’s library is the Lee Vining Library, a branch of Mono County Free Library, which serves 12,861 people and lent 52K items last year.
The short version on Lee Vining’s library
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 Lee Vining 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; Lee Vining’s library is a branch of Mono County Free Library, so they cover the whole system (12,861 people), not just the Lee Vining branch.
What’s behind Lee Vining’s civic life grade
Lee Vining 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 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
Lee Vining Library, 51710 Hwy. 395, Lee Vining.
No late fees. E-books and audiobooks from home. Research databases: courses, journals, genealogy. Good at every Mono County Free Library branch.
New in Lee Vining? 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 Lee Vining 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. Lee Vining 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 Lee Vining
Does Lee Vining have a public library?
Yes: Lee Vining Library, 51710 Hwy. 395, 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 Lee Vining’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 Lee Vining’s civic life grade?
Lee Vining 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 Lee Vining.
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.