Arthur’s library runs 163 programs per 1,000 residents, against a typical 60 for libraries its size
Arthur Public Library serves Arthur’s 392 residents. Last year it lent 1,002 print books and media and logged 2,140 visits.
The short version on Arthur’s library
Open only about 13 hours a week
Arthur Public Library keeps short hours: about 13 a week, averaged over the year, so check its schedule before you go. The building ↓
Gifts and endowments pay a real share
41% of the library’s income comes from gifts, endowments, fees and other sources, not taxes. Local taxes cover 56%. What your card is worth ↓
A small-town library
Arthur Public Library serves 392 residents with about one full-time staff. 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 ↓
Most programs are for young children
78% of the 64 programs last year were for ages 11 and under, including 25 for ages 0–5. 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; in a town this small, one busy program or a few avid readers move the per-resident numbers.
What’s behind Arthur’s civic life grade
Arthur 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 4 of 7 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving under 2,500 people across the U.S.
Arthur Public Library serves 392 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving under 2,500.
Every hour the doors are open, about 1 item goes out
Fiscal year 2024. The library’s own count.
Books and media off the shelf
1,002 print loans last year. The library didn’t report its e-book and e-audiobook loans.
Each of the 7,754 books and other items on the shelves went out about 0.1 time last year, on average.
64 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
Arthur Public Library, 224 S Main St., Arthur.
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 Arthur cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $54. Operating budget $29K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $18K 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 302 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 Arthur
Does Arthur have a public library?
Yes. Arthur Public Library, 224 S Main St., serves Arthur’s 392 residents (the survey’s count) and is open about 13 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Arthur Public Library fine-free?
Yes, no late fees (the library’s 2024 survey report).
How busy is Arthur’s library?
It logged 5.5 visits and lent 2.6 print items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3.5 visits for libraries serving under 2,500 people.
What is Arthur’s civic life grade?
Arthur 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 Arthur.
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.