Photo: Jeffrey Beall · CC BY 3.0De Beque’s library is a branch of Mesa County Public Library District, which lends more per resident than 79% of systems its size
De Beque’s library is the Debeque Branch Library, a branch of Mesa County Public Library District, which serves 159,637 people and lent 1.3M items last year.
De Beque’s library, in brief
Open only about 12 hours a week
The De Beque branch keeps short hours: about 12 a week, averaged over the year, so check its schedule before you go. The building ↓
Visits are the system’s strong suit
The Mesa County Public Library District system logs 4.5 visits per resident, against a typical 2.1 for libraries serving 100,000+ people, more than 95% of similar-size libraries. Borrowing is above typical too, at 6 print items per resident. How it compares ↓
Programs lean toward adults
58% of the 3,237 programs last year were for adults: classes, talks, clubs and events. 1,116 were for children. 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; De Beque’s library is a branch of Mesa County Public Library District, so they cover the whole system (159,637 people), not just the De Beque branch.
What’s behind De Beque’s civic life grade
De Beque 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 →
Every hour the doors are open, about 80 items go out
Fiscal year 2024, for the whole Mesa County Public Library District system. The library’s own count.
Ahead of most similar-size libraries on all 8 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 100,000+ people across the U.S.
Mesa County Public Library District serves 159,637 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 100,000+.
Mostly books and media off the shelf
1.3M loans last year: print, kids’ and digital.
354,968 e-books, e-audiobooks and streams last year. Borrow from home with your card, plus research databases: courses, journals, genealogy and more.
About 21 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
Debeque Branch Library, 730 Minter Avenue, Debeque.
No late fees. E-books and audiobooks from home. Loans renew on their own if no one’s waiting. Research databases: courses, journals, genealogy. Good at every Mesa County Public Library District branch.
New in De Beque? The Handbook →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 $2.63 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average De Beque cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $36. Operating budget $8.1M.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $21M worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $8.1M 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 68,416 cardholders ÷ 12.
What this data can and can’t tell you
From the Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024.
- System-wide. Debeque Branch Library is one branch of Mesa County Public Library District, so the yearly numbers cover every branch and all 159,637 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 De Beque
Does De Beque have a public library?
Yes: Debeque Branch Library, 730 Minter Avenue, is a branch of Mesa County Public Library District, which serves 159,637 people. The branch is open about 12 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Mesa County Public Library District 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 De Beque’s library?
It logged 4.5 visits and lent 8.3 items per resident in 2024, against a typical 2.1 visits for libraries serving 100,000+ people.
What is De Beque’s civic life grade?
De Beque 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 De Beque.
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.