Photo: Ashton B Crew · CC BY-SA 3.0Scranton’s library runs 230 programs per 1,000 residents, against a typical 60 for libraries its size
H.F. and Maude E. Marchant Memorial Library serves Scranton’s 777 residents. Last year it lent 3,003 print books and media and logged 3,344 visits.
Scranton’s library, in brief
Four times the programs of a typical library its size
H.F. and Maude E. Marchant Memorial Library ran 179 programs last year, about 3 a week. That’s 230 per 1,000 residents, against a typical 60. Kids & programs ↓
A small-town library
H.F. and Maude E. Marchant Memorial Library serves 777 residents with about one full-time staff, open about 25 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 ↓
Programs lean toward adults
60% of the 179 programs last year were for adults: classes, talks, clubs and events. 41 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 Scranton’s civic life grade
Scranton 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 →
179 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 Scranton last year.
Ahead of most similar-size libraries on 5 of 7 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving under 2,500 people across the U.S.
H.F. and Maude E. Marchant Memorial Library serves 777 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving under 2,500.
Every hour the doors are open, about 2 items go out
Fiscal year 2024. The library’s own count.
Books and media off the shelf
3,003 print loans last year. The library didn’t report its e-book and e-audiobook loans.
Each of the 9,051 books and other items on the shelves went out about 0.3 time last year, on average.
Find it
H.F. and Maude E. Marchant Memorial Library, 1110 Main St., Scranton.
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 $1.65 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Scranton cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $54. Operating budget $42K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $69K 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 414 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 Scranton
Does Scranton have a public library?
Yes. H.F. and Maude E. Marchant Memorial Library, 1110 Main St., serves Scranton’s 777 residents (the survey’s count) and is open about 25 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is H.F. and Maude E. Marchant Memorial Library fine-free?
Yes, no late fees (the library’s 2024 survey report).
How busy is Scranton’s library?
It logged 4.3 visits and lent 3.9 print items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3.5 visits for libraries serving under 2,500 people.
What is Scranton’s civic life grade?
Scranton 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 Scranton.
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.