West Park’s library is a branch of Broward County Libraries Division, which lends less per resident than 82% of systems its size
West Park’s library is the Carver Ranches Branch, a branch of Broward County Libraries Division, which serves 1,776,271 people and lent 3M items last year.
The short version on West Park’s library
More of a place to be than a place to borrow
Visits per resident beat 77% of similar-size libraries, while borrowing beats only 18%. The building also logs about 1,109 Wi-Fi sessions a day. A year at the library ↓
Nearly everyone the system serves has a card
1,621,210 cards for 1,776,271 people, or 91%. At the typical library serving 100,000+ people, it’s 41%. How it compares ↓
Programs lean toward adults
52% of the 17,183 programs last year were for adults: classes, talks, clubs and events. 6,376 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; West Park’s library is a branch of Broward County Libraries Division, so they cover the whole system (1,776,271 people), not just the West Park branch.
What’s behind West Park’s civic life grade
On community nonprofits and volunteering, West Park is ahead of 5% of U.S. towns, #234 of 273 in Florida. West Park is graded on two of the three inputs. Both inputs sit below most U.S. towns; West Park’s count of community nonprofits comes closest to the middle.
Most U.S. towns with similar household incomes ($49K–$82K) score higher, so income alone doesn’t account for it.
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 →
39 community nonprofits are registered in West Park
2.6 per 1,000 residents, against a U.S. town median of 3.7. The largest group: human services.
Community nonprofits, by kind
Counted from the IRS list of tax-exempt organizations by mailing address (fractions where a ZIP code spans towns). Congregations are counted apart (28 here), since whether a church registers depends on its denomination, not the town. 6 more name a national or statewide reach and are left out.
2.2%
2.2% of West Park’s Facebook users aged 25–44 belong to a volunteering or activism group, against 5.6% in the typical Florida town and 7.5% nationally.
Volunteering: Social Capital Atlas (Opportunity Insights), from data by Meta Platforms, Inc.; Chetty et al., Nature 2022. ZIP-code figures, weighted by where West Park’s residents live; 2022.
Ahead of most similar-size libraries on 5 of 6 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 100,000+ people across the U.S.
Broward County Libraries Division serves 1,776,271 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 100,000+.
Every hour the doors are open, about 32 items go out
Fiscal year 2024, for the whole Broward County Libraries Division system. The library’s own count.
Books and media off the shelf
3M 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 West Park’s library in 2024, so there’s no split between adults’ and kids’ borrowing.
About 123 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
Carver Ranches Branch, 4735 Southwest 18th Street, Hollywood.
No late fees. Good at every Broward County Libraries Division branch.
New in West Park? 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 West Park cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $36. Operating budget $78M.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $57M worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $78M 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 1,621,210 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Park | Carver Ranches Branch fine-free | — | 45 | D− |
| Ives Estates | California Club Branch Library fine-free | — | 56 | — unincorporated |
| Miami Gardens | North Dade Regional Library fine-free | — | 56 | D |
| Miramar | Miramar Branch fine-free | — | 52 | D |
| Pembroke Park | None of its own | — | — | D− |
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. Carver Ranches Branch is one branch of Broward County Libraries Division, so the yearly numbers cover every branch and all 1,776,271 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 West Park
Does West Park have a public library?
Yes: Carver Ranches Branch, 4735 Southwest 18th Street, is a branch of Broward County Libraries Division, which serves 1,776,271 people. The branch is open about 45 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Broward County Libraries Division fine-free?
Yes, no late fees (the library’s 2024 survey report).
How busy is West Park’s library?
It logged 3.0 visits and lent 1.7 print items per resident in 2024, against a typical 2.1 visits for libraries serving 100,000+ people.
What is West Park’s civic life grade?
D− West Park is ahead of 5% of U.S. towns on civic life, #234 of 273 in Florida. The grade combines library visits per resident, community nonprofits per 1,000 residents and the share of adults 25–44 in volunteering groups. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
Book talk
Reading, story times and the library in West Park.
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.