Albion’s library runs 345 programs per 1,000 residents, against a typical 60 for libraries its size
Albion Municipal Library serves Albion’s 513 residents. Last year it lent 1,034 print books and media and logged 3,020 visits.
The short version on Albion’s library
More of a place to be than a place to borrow
Visits per resident beat 74% of similar-size libraries, while borrowing beats only 24%. The building also logs about 5 Wi-Fi sessions a day. Program attendance beats 90% of similar libraries. A year at the library ↓
Six times the programs of a typical library its size
Albion Municipal Library ran 177 programs last year, about 3 a week. That’s 345 per 1,000 residents, against a typical 60. People show up: 1,349 attended. Kids & programs ↓
Gifts and endowments pay a real share
48% of the library’s income comes from gifts, endowments, fees and other sources, not taxes. Local taxes cover 49%. What your card is worth ↓
A small-town library
Albion Municipal Library serves 513 residents with about one full-time staff, open about 37 hours a week. It’s compared only with libraries serving under 2,500 people, because per-person numbers always look big in a small town. A year at the library ↓
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; in a town this small, one busy program or a few avid readers move the per-resident numbers.
What’s behind Albion’s civic life grade
Albion 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 2 kids’ programs a week
Story times, clubs, classes and events, by who they’re for.
Programs last year by age group
story times and programs a week for ages 0–5, on average.
children’s books and media borrowed per child under 18 in Albion last year.
Ahead of most similar-size libraries on 5 of 7 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving under 2,500 people across the U.S.
Albion Municipal Library serves 513 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving under 2,500.
A year at Albion Municipal Library
Fiscal year 2024. The library’s own count.
Books and media off the shelf
1,034 print loans last year. The library didn’t report its e-book and e-audiobook loans.
Each of the 7,253 books and other items on the shelves went out about 0.1 time last year, on average.
Find it
Albion Municipal Library, 400 N Main St., Albion.
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 Albion cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $54. Operating budget $37K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $35K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $37K 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 336 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.
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 Albion
Does Albion have a public library?
Yes. Albion Municipal Library, 400 N Main St., serves Albion’s 513 residents (the survey’s count) and is open about 37 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Albion Municipal Library fine-free?
Yes, no late fees (the library’s 2024 survey report).
How busy is Albion’s library?
It logged 5.9 visits and lent 2.0 print items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3.5 visits for libraries serving under 2,500 people.
What is Albion’s civic life grade?
Albion 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 Albion.
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.