Tween Waters Inn Historic District · Photo: Pietro · CC BY-SA 3.0Captiva’s library is a branch of Lee County Library System, which lends more per resident than 55% of systems its size
Captiva’s library is the Captiva Memorial Library, a branch of Lee County Library System, which serves 779,221 people and lent 2.7M items last year.
Captiva’s library, in brief
Few programs for a library this size
The Lee County Library System offered 3,337 programs last year, 4.3 per 1,000 residents against a typical 9. Kids & programs ↓
Open only about 22 hours a week
The Captiva branch keeps short hours: about 22 a week, averaged over the year, so check its schedule before you go. The building ↓
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; Captiva’s library is a branch of Lee County Library System, so they cover the whole system (779,221 people), not just the Captiva branch.
What’s behind Captiva’s civic life grade
Captiva 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 2 of 6 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 100,000+ people across the U.S.
Lee County Library System serves 779,221 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 100,000+.
Every hour the doors are open, about 83 items go out
Fiscal year 2024, for the whole Lee County Library System system. The library’s own count.
Books and media off the shelf
2.7M print loans last year. The library didn’t report its e-book and e-audiobook loans.
The survey has no count of children’s loans for Captiva’s library in 2024, so there’s no split between adults’ and kids’ borrowing.
About 29 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
Captiva Memorial Library, 11560 Chapin Lane, Captiva.
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 $1.29 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Captiva cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $36. Operating budget $37M.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $48M worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $37M 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 289,240 cardholders ÷ 12.
Libraries next door
Who has a library of their own, and how much each town borrows. Tap a town to see its library.
| Town | Library | Loans per resident | Hours | Civic life |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sanibel | Sanibel Public Library | 8.3 | — | A− |
| Captiva | Captiva Memorial Library | — | 22 | — under 1,000 residents |
Loans = print + digital items borrowed in the library’s fiscal year, per person it serves. — = no library of its own, a county or regional system (its numbers cover many towns), or no report. Civic life: — = not graded (unincorporated places, whose nonprofits can’t be placed by mailing address, or towns with fewer than two of the three inputs).
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. Captiva Memorial Library is one branch of Lee County Library System, so the yearly numbers cover every branch and all 779,221 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 Captiva
Does Captiva have a public library?
Yes: Captiva Memorial Library, 11560 Chapin Lane, is a branch of Lee County Library System, which serves 779,221 people. The branch is open about 22 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Lee County Library System fine-free?
It charges late fines on some overdue items (the library’s 2024 survey report).
How busy is Captiva’s library?
It logged 1.8 visits and lent 3.5 print items per resident in 2024, against a typical 2.1 visits for libraries serving 100,000+ people.
What is Captiva’s civic life grade?
Captiva 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 Captiva.
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.