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Upper Iowa River BridgeUpper Iowa River Bridge · Photo: Kevin Schuchmann · CC BY-SA 3.0
New Albin Public Library

New Albin’s library runs 94 programs per 1,000 residents, against a typical 60 for libraries its size

New Albin Public Library serves New Albin’s 1,040 residents. Last year it lent 3,571 print books and media and logged 2,143 visits.

176 Elm St. NE, New Albin 52160 · about 23 hours a week
–Civic lifeNot graded: fewer than 1,000 residents
Borrowed a year
3,571
3.4 per resident
Visits a year
2,143
2.1 per resident · Below typical (3.5)
Programs & events
98
about 2 a week · 742 attended
Cardholders
24%
252 cards
Open
23 hrs
a week

What stands out about New Albin’s library

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

Civic life grade

What’s behind New Albin’s civic life grade

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

–
Civic lifeA character grade: shown, never part of New Albin’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 2 of 7 measures

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

Visits per resident 2.1 visits · typical 3.5Lower than 73%
Borrowing per resident 3.4 print items · typical 3.9Lower than 55%
Kids’ borrowing 1 kids’ items · typical 1.4Lower than 61%
Program attendance 0.7 attendees · typical 0.7Higher than 51%
Programs offered 94.2 per 1,000 residents · typical 60Higher than 67%
Cardholders 24% of residents · typical 54%Lower than 84%
Spending $24 per resident · typical $54Lower than 87%
Fewer per residentMore per resident
Size group

New Albin Public Library serves 1,040 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 3 items go out

Fiscal year 2024. The library’s own count.

2,143
visits
2.1 per resident
3,571
loans, print + digital
3.4 per resident
98
programs & events
742 attended
252
library cards
24% of people served
Every open hour3items borrowed
Every week14people at a program
Every day1Wi-Fi sessions
1 staff (full-time equivalent)5 public computers11K books & media on the shelves
What people borrow

Books and media off the shelf

3,571 print loans last year. The library didn’t report its e-book and e-audiobook loans.

3,571loans
Books & media (adults) 72%Kids’ books & media 28%
How hard the shelves work
0.3×

Each of the 11K books and other items on the shelves went out about 0.3 time last year, on average.

Kids & programs

98 programs a year

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

Schools in New Albin →

Programs last year by age group

Ages 0–523
Ages 6–1123
Teens6
Adults8
All ages38
Little ones
0.4

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

1,000
kids’ books & media borrowed
742
people at programs
98
programs
The building

Find it

New Albin Public Library, 176 Elm St. NE, New Albin.

23
hours open a week
1,600
square feet
11K
books & media
With a card

No late fees.

New in New Albin? 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 $2.57 worth

Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average New Albin 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
$24 per resident a year

Typical for a library this size: $54. Operating budget $25K.

Local taxes 91%State 2%Gifts & other 6%

Last year the library lent and hosted about $65K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $25K 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 252 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 New Albin

Does New Albin have a public library?

Yes. New Albin Public Library, 176 Elm St. NE, serves New Albin’s 1,040 residents (the survey’s count) and is open about 23 hours a week, averaged over the year.

Is New Albin Public Library fine-free?

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

How busy is New Albin’s library?

It logged 2.1 visits and lent 3.4 print items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3.5 visits for libraries serving under 2,500 people.

What is New Albin’s civic life grade?

New Albin 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 New Albin.

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.