Duncombe’s library runs 336 programs per 1,000 residents, against a typical 60 for libraries its size
Duncombe Public Library serves Duncombe’s 429 residents. Last year it lent 562 print books and media and logged 1,095 visits.
The short version on Duncombe’s library
Six times the programs of a typical library its size
Duncombe Public Library ran 144 programs last year, about 3 a week. That’s 336 per 1,000 residents, against a typical 60. Kids & programs ↓
Well funded, but lightly used
Duncombe Public Library spends $97 per resident, more than 82% of similar-size libraries. Use doesn’t match: visits per resident are lower than at 65% of them. What your card is worth ↓
A small-town library
Duncombe Public Library serves 429 residents with about one full-time staff, open about 28 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 ↓
Gifts and endowments pay a real share
36% of the library’s income comes from gifts, endowments, fees and other sources, not taxes. Local taxes cover 62%. What your card is worth ↓
Most programs are for young children
78% of the 144 programs last year were for ages 11 and under, including 6 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 Duncombe’s civic life grade
Duncombe 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.
Ahead of most similar-size libraries on 4 of 7 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving under 2,500 people across the U.S.
Duncombe Public Library serves 429 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving under 2,500.
A year at Duncombe Public Library
Fiscal year 2024. The library’s own count.
Books and media off the shelf
562 print loans last year. The library didn’t report its e-book and e-audiobook loans.
Each of the 6,493 books and other items on the shelves went out about 0.1 time last year, on average.
Find it
Duncombe Public Library, 621 Prince St., Duncombe.
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 Duncombe cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $54. Operating budget $42K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $18K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $42K 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 314 cardholders ÷ 12.
What this data can and can’t tell you
From the Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024.
- Visits are a typical-week estimate. Duncombe Public Library counted one typical week and multiplied by 52, as the survey allows.
- 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 Duncombe
Does Duncombe have a public library?
Yes. Duncombe Public Library, 621 Prince St., serves Duncombe’s 429 residents (the survey’s count) and is open about 28 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Duncombe Public Library fine-free?
Yes, no late fees (the library’s 2024 survey report).
How busy is Duncombe’s library?
It logged 2.6 visits and lent 1.3 print items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3.5 visits for libraries serving under 2,500 people.
What is Duncombe’s civic life grade?
Duncombe 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 Duncombe.
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.