Lowry Ruin · Photo: Gloria Wadzinski · CC BY-SA 4.0Dove Creek’s library is a branch of Dolores County School/Public Library (Dove Creek), which lends more per resident than 62% of systems its size
Dove Creek’s library is the Adult/High School Branch, a branch of Dolores County School/Public Library (Dove Creek), which serves 2,270 people and lent 11K items last year.
Dove Creek’s library, in brief
Programs draw a crowd
8,968 people came to the system’s 396 programs last year: 4 per resident, against a typical 0.7, more than at 96% of similar-size libraries. Kids & programs ↓
Visits are the system’s strong suit
The Dolores County School/Public Library (Dove Creek) system logs 9.8 visits per resident, against a typical 3.5 for libraries serving under 2,500 people, more than 89% of similar-size libraries. Borrowing is above typical too, at 5 print items per resident. How it compares ↓
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; Dove Creek’s library is a branch of Dolores County School/Public Library (Dove Creek), so they cover the whole system (2,270 people), not just the Dove Creek branch; in a town this small, one busy program or a few avid readers move the per-resident numbers.
What’s behind Dove Creek’s civic life grade
Dove 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 →
About 5 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 all 7 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving under 2,500 people across the U.S.
Dolores County School/Public Library (Dove Creek) serves 2,270 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving under 2,500.
Every hour the doors are open, about 3 items go out
Fiscal year 2024, for the whole Dolores County School/Public Library (Dove Creek) system. The library’s own count.
Books and media off the shelf
11K print loans last year. The library didn’t report its e-book and e-audiobook loans.
Borrow from home with your card.
2 places to borrow in Dove Creek
Adult/High School Branch, 525 North Main, Dove Creek.
E-books and audiobooks from home. Loans renew on their own if no one’s waiting. Good at every Dolores County School/Public Library (Dove Creek) branch.
New in Dove Creek? The Handbook →Hours are the survey’s yearly average. Check the library’s own site for today’s hours.
Other Dolores County School/Public Library (Dove Creek) branches in Dove Creek
For every $1 it spends, the library lends about $1.77 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Dove Creek cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $54. Operating budget $150K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $265K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $150K budget.
Late fines apply to some overdue items.
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 1,404 cardholders ÷ 12.
What this data can and can’t tell you
From the Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024.
- Digital loans not reported. The library didn’t report e-book loans, so borrowing here is print only.
- System-wide. Adult/High School Branch is one branch of Dolores County School/Public Library (Dove Creek), so the yearly numbers cover every branch and all 2,270 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 Dove Creek
Does Dove Creek have a public library?
Yes: Adult/High School Branch, 525 North Main, is a branch of Dolores County School/Public Library (Dove Creek), which serves 2,270 people. The branch is open about 36 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Dolores County School/Public Library (Dove Creek) fine-free? Does it lend e-books?
It charges late fines on some overdue items, and it lends e-books and audiobooks with a card (the library’s 2024 survey report).
How busy is Dove Creek’s library?
It logged 9.8 visits and lent 5.0 print items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3.5 visits for libraries serving under 2,500 people.
What is Dove Creek’s civic life grade?
Dove 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 Dove 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.