Wadena’s library runs 514 programs per 1,000 residents, against a typical 60 for libraries its size
Wadena Public Library serves Wadena’s 290 residents. Last year it lent 1,718 print books and media and logged 1,702 visits.
The short version on Wadena’s library
Nine times the programs of a typical library its size
Wadena Public Library ran 149 programs last year, about 3 a week. That’s 514 per 1,000 residents, against a typical 60. People show up: 732 attended. Kids & programs ↓
Open only about 14 hours a week
Wadena Public Library keeps short hours: about 14 a week, averaged over the year, so check its schedule before you go. The building ↓
A small-town library
Wadena Public Library serves 290 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 ↓
Nearly everyone in Wadena has a card
265 cards for 290 people, or 91%. At the typical library serving under 2,500 people, it’s 54%. How it compares ↓
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 Wadena’s civic life grade
Wadena 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 1 kids’ program 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 6 of 7 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving under 2,500 people across the U.S.
Wadena Public Library serves 290 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
1,718 print loans last year. The library didn’t report its e-book and e-audiobook loans.
Each of the 6,906 books and other items on the shelves went out about 0.2 time last year, on average.
Find it
Wadena Public Library, 136 S Mill St., Wadena.
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 $2.01 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Wadena cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $54. Operating budget $19K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $39K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $19K 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 265 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 Wadena
Does Wadena have a public library?
Yes. Wadena Public Library, 136 S Mill St., serves Wadena’s 290 residents (the survey’s count) and is open about 14 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Wadena Public Library fine-free?
Yes, no late fees (the library’s 2024 survey report).
How busy is Wadena’s library?
It logged 5.9 visits and lent 5.9 print items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3.5 visits for libraries serving under 2,500 people.
What is Wadena’s civic life grade?
Wadena 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 Wadena.
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.