Alexander’s library logs 16 visits per resident, against a typical 3.5 for libraries its size
Alexander Public Library serves Alexander’s 191 residents. Last year it lent 895 print books and media and logged 3,150 visits.
Alexander’s library, in brief
More library cards than residents
741 cards for 191 people. Cards held by people from outside the service area count too, so the total can pass the population. At the typical library serving under 2,500 people, it’s 54%. How it compares ↓
People come to Alexander Public Library a lot
Alexander Public Library logs 16 visits per resident, against a typical 3.5 for libraries serving under 2,500 people, more than 96% of similar-size libraries. Borrowing is above typical too, at 4.7 print items per resident. How it compares ↓
A small-town library
Alexander Public Library serves 191 residents with about one full-time staff, open about 23 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 ↓
Alexander invests in its library
Alexander Public Library spends $175 per resident a year, about three times the typical $54 for a library its size. Almost all of it (91%) comes from local taxes. What your card is worth ↓
A place to get online
Alexander Public Library logs about 3 Wi-Fi sessions a day and has 5 public computers. That’s 5.7 sessions per resident a year. 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 Alexander’s civic life grade
Alexander 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 →
A year at Alexander Public Library
Fiscal year 2024. The library’s own count.
Ahead of most similar-size libraries on 5 of 7 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving under 2,500 people across the U.S.
Alexander Public Library serves 191 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving under 2,500.
Books and media off the shelf
895 print loans last year. The library didn’t report its e-book and e-audiobook loans.
Each of the 6,084 books and other items on the shelves went out about 0.1 time last year, on average.
10 programs a year
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.
Find it
Alexander Public Library, 409 Harriman St., Alexander.
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 Alexander cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $54. Operating budget $33K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $22K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $33K 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 741 cardholders ÷ 12.
What this data can and can’t tell you
From the Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024.
- Visits count everyone. Alexander’s 3,150 visits include people from nearby towns and summer visitors; the survey has no resident share.
- 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 Alexander
Does Alexander have a public library?
Yes. Alexander Public Library, 409 Harriman St., serves Alexander’s 191 residents (the survey’s count) and is open about 23 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Alexander Public Library fine-free?
Yes, no late fees (the library’s 2024 survey report).
How busy is Alexander’s library?
It logged 16.5 visits and lent 4.7 print items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3.5 visits for libraries serving under 2,500 people.
What is Alexander’s civic life grade?
Alexander 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 Alexander.
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.