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Armstrong Public Library

Armstrong’s library runs 36 programs per 1,000 residents, against a typical 60 for libraries its size

Armstrong Public Library serves Armstrong’s 1,013 residents. Last year it lent 2,889 print books and media and logged 2,734 visits.

308 6th St., Armstrong 50514 · about 24 hours a week
–Civic lifeNot graded: fewer than 1,000 residents
Borrowed a year
2,889
2.9 per resident
Visits a year
2,734
2.7 per resident · Below typical (3.5)
Programs & events
36
about 1 a week · 476 attended
Cardholders
58%
590 cards
Open
24 hrs
a week

What stands out about Armstrong’s library

Read from the library’s own yearly report. The page puts what stands out first.

Civic life grade

What’s behind Armstrong’s civic life grade

Armstrong isn’t graded on civic life: TownRatings grades towns of 1,000 residents or more.

–
Civic lifeA character grade: shown, never part of Armstrong’s overall grade.

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 →

How it compares

Ahead of most similar-size libraries on 1 of 7 measures

Per resident, against libraries serving under 2,500 people across the U.S.

Visits per resident 2.7 visits · typical 3.5Lower than 63%
Borrowing per resident 2.9 print items · typical 3.9Lower than 63%
Kids’ borrowing 0.5 kids’ items · typical 1.4Lower than 75%
Program attendance 0.5 attendees · typical 0.7Lower than 62%
Programs offered 35.5 per 1,000 residents · typical 60Lower than 66%
Cardholders 58% of residents · typical 54%Higher than 54%
Spending $29 per resident · typical $54Lower than 83%
Fewer per residentMore per resident
Size group

Armstrong Public Library serves 1,013 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving under 2,500.

A year at the library

Every hour the doors are open, about 2 items go out

Fiscal year 2024. The library’s own count.

2,734
visits
2.7 per resident
2,889
loans, print + digital
2.9 per resident
36
programs & events
476 attended
590
library cards
58% of people served
Every open hour2items borrowed
Every week9people at a program
Every day4Wi-Fi sessions
1 staff (full-time equivalent)4 public computers17K books & media on the shelves
What people borrow

Books and media off the shelf

2,889 print loans last year. The library didn’t report its e-book and e-audiobook loans.

2,889loans
Books & media (adults) 81%Kids’ books & media 19%
How hard the shelves work
0.2×

Each of the 17K books and other items on the shelves went out about 0.2 time last year, on average.

Kids & programs

36 programs a year

Story times, clubs, classes and events, by who they’re for.

Schools in Armstrong →

Programs last year by age group

Ages 0–51
Ages 6–119
Teens0
Adults26
All ages0
Little ones
0

story times and programs a week for ages 0–5, on average.

Kids’ books
4

children’s books and media borrowed per child under 18 in Armstrong last year.

476
people at programs
36
programs
The building

Find it

Armstrong Public Library, 308 6th St., Armstrong.

24
hours open a week
1,750
square feet
17K
books & media
With a card

No late fees.

New in Armstrong? The Handbook →

Hours are the survey’s yearly average. Check the library’s own site for today’s hours.

What your card is worth

For every $1 it spends, the library lends about $1.92 worth

Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Armstrong cardholder borrows.

In a month I’d use…
Books$17 each
1
Kids’ books$12 each
0
E-books & audio$15 each
0
Movies & music$4 each
0
Programs & classes$10 a program
0
Computer & Wi-Fi$3 a session
0
Your card saves you about
$204
a year at retail prices · $17 a month

Who pays for it
$29 per resident a year

Typical for a library this size: $54. Operating budget $29K.

Local taxes 94%State 2%Gifts & other 4%

Last year the library lent and hosted about $55K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $29K 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 590 cardholders ÷ 12.

How to read these numbers

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 Armstrong

Does Armstrong have a public library?

Yes. Armstrong Public Library, 308 6th St., serves Armstrong’s 1,013 residents (the survey’s count) and is open about 24 hours a week, averaged over the year.

Is Armstrong Public Library fine-free?

Yes, no late fees (the library’s 2024 survey report).

How busy is Armstrong’s library?

It logged 2.7 visits and lent 2.9 print items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3.5 visits for libraries serving under 2,500 people.

What is Armstrong’s civic life grade?

Armstrong 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 Armstrong.

Town Square →
Start a conversation

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.