Photo: Farragutful · CC BY-SA 4.0Lost Nation’s library runs 155 programs per 1,000 residents, against a typical 60 for libraries its size
Lost Nation Public Library serves Lost Nation’s 530 residents. Last year it lent 1,176 print books and media and logged 3,454 visits.
The short version on Lost Nation’s library
More of a place to be than a place to borrow
Visits per resident beat 77% of similar-size libraries, while borrowing beats only 27%. The building also logs about 3 Wi-Fi sessions a day. Program attendance beats 74% of similar libraries. A year at the library ↓
A small-town library
Lost Nation Public Library serves 530 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 22 hours a week
Lost Nation Public Library keeps short hours: about 22 a week, averaged over the year, so check its schedule before you go. The building ↓
Programs lean toward adults
63% of the 82 programs last year were for adults: classes, talks, clubs and events. 12 were for children. 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 Lost Nation’s civic life grade
Lost Nation 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.
Lost Nation Public Library serves 530 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
1,176 print loans last year. The library didn’t report its e-book and e-audiobook loans.
Each of the 8,718 books and other items on the shelves went out about 0.1 time last year, on average.
82 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.
children’s books and media borrowed per child under 18 in Lost Nation last year.
Find it
Lost Nation Public Library, 410 Main St., Lost Nation.
Hours are the survey’s yearly average. Check the library’s own site for today’s hours.
For every $1 it spends, the library lends about $2.26 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Lost Nation cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $54. Operating budget $13K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $28K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $13K 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 360 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 Lost Nation
Does Lost Nation have a public library?
Yes. Lost Nation Public Library, 410 Main St., serves Lost Nation’s 530 residents (the survey’s count) and is open about 22 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Lost Nation Public Library fine-free?
Yes, no late fees (the library’s 2024 survey report).
How busy is Lost Nation’s library?
It logged 6.5 visits and lent 2.2 print items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3.5 visits for libraries serving under 2,500 people.
What is Lost Nation’s civic life grade?
Lost Nation 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 Lost Nation.
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.