Photo: Jared Winkler · CC BY-SA 4.0Lewis’ library logs 14 visits per resident, against a typical 3.5 for libraries its size
Lewis Public Library serves Lewis’s 367 residents. Last year it lent 1,017 print books and media and logged 5,103 visits.
Lewis’s library, in brief
More library cards than residents
466 cards for 367 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 ↓
More of a place to be than a place to borrow
Visits per resident beat 95% of similar-size libraries, while borrowing beats only 36%. The building also logs about 5 Wi-Fi sessions a day. Program attendance beats 82% of similar libraries. A year at the library ↓
A small-town library
Lewis Public Library serves 367 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 ↓
Open only about 19 hours a week
Lewis Public Library keeps short hours: about 19 a week, averaged over the year, so check its schedule before you go. The building ↓
Most programs are for young children
70% of the 61 programs last year were for ages 11 and under, including 0 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 Lewis’ civic life grade
Lewis 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 →
Every hour the doors are open, about 1 item goes out
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.
Lewis Public Library serves 367 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving under 2,500.
Books and media off the shelf
1,017 print loans last year. The library didn’t report its e-book and e-audiobook loans.
Each of the 6,845 books and other items on the shelves went out about 0.1 time last year, on average.
61 programs a year
Story times, clubs, classes and events, by who they’re for.
Programs last year by age group
Find it
Lewis Public Library, 412 W Main St., Lewis.
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 Lewis cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $54. Operating budget $46K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $30K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $46K 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 466 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 Lewis
Does Lewis have a public library?
Yes. Lewis Public Library, 412 W Main St., serves Lewis’ 367 residents (the survey’s count) and is open about 19 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Lewis Public Library fine-free?
Yes, no late fees (the library’s 2024 survey report).
How busy is Lewis’ library?
It logged 13.9 visits and lent 2.8 print items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3.5 visits for libraries serving under 2,500 people.
What is Lewis’ civic life grade?
Lewis 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 Lewis.
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.