Photo: Gillfoto · CC BY-SA 4.0Rico’s library is a branch of Dolores County School/Public Library (Dove Creek), which lends more per resident than 62% of systems its size
Rico’s library is the Rico Public Library, a branch of Dolores County School/Public Library (Dove Creek), which serves 2,270 people and lent 11K items last year.
Rico’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; Rico’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 Rico branch; in a town this small, one busy program or a few avid readers move the per-resident numbers.
What’s behind Rico’s civic life grade
Rico 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.
Find it
Rico Public Library, 2 North Commercial Street, Rico.
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 Rico? 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 $1.77 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Rico 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. Rico Public Library 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 Rico
Does Rico have a public library?
Yes: Rico Public Library, 2 North Commercial Street, is a branch of Dolores County School/Public Library (Dove Creek), which serves 2,270 people. The branch is open about 30 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 Rico’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 Rico’s civic life grade?
Rico 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 Rico.
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.