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Wesley Public Library

Wesley’s library lends 11 print items per resident, against a typical 3.9 for libraries its size

Wesley Public Library serves Wesley’s 571 residents. Last year it lent 6,465 print books and media and logged 3,415 visits.

206 Main St., Wesley 50483 · about 37 hours a week
–Civic lifeNot graded: fewer than 1,000 residents
Borrowed a year
6,465
11.3 per resident
Visits a year
3,415
6 per resident · Above typical (3.5)
Programs & events
60
about 1 a week · 2,207 attended
Cardholders
54%
311 cards
Open
37 hrs
a week
In brief

The short version on Wesley’s library

A small-town library

Wesley Public Library serves 571 residents with about one full-time staff, open about 37 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 draw a crowd

2,207 people came to the library’s 60 programs last year: 3.9 per resident, against a typical 0.7, more than at 95% of similar-size libraries. Kids & programs ↓

Wesley is a town of borrowers

Wesley Public Library lends 11 print items per resident, against a typical 3.9 for libraries serving under 2,500 people, more than 90% of similar-size libraries. What people borrow ↓

Programs lean toward adults

50% of the 60 programs last year were for adults: classes, talks, clubs and events. 19 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.

Civic life grade

What’s behind Wesley’s civic life grade

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

–
Civic lifeA character grade: shown, never part of Wesley’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 →

★ What stands out · Kids & programs

60 programs a year

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

Schools in Wesley →

Programs last year by age group

Ages 0–513
Ages 6–116
Teens5
Adults30
All ages6
Little ones
0.3

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

1,258
kids’ books & media borrowed
2,207
people at programs
60
programs
How it compares

Ahead of most similar-size libraries on all 7 measures

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

Visits per resident 6 visits · typical 3.5Higher than 74%
Borrowing per resident 11.3 print items · typical 3.9Top 10%
Kids’ borrowing 2.2 kids’ items · typical 1.4Higher than 66%
Program attendance 3.9 attendees · typical 0.7Top 10%
Programs offered 105.1 per 1,000 residents · typical 60Higher than 70%
Cardholders 54% of residents · typical 54%Higher than 50%
Spending $105 per resident · typical $54Higher than 84%
Fewer per residentMore per resident
Size group

Wesley Public Library serves 571 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.

3,415
visits
6 per resident
6,465
loans, print + digital
11.3 per resident
60
programs & events
2,207 attended
311
library cards
54% of people served
Every open hour3items borrowed
Every week42people at a program
Every day4Wi-Fi sessions
1 staff (full-time equivalent)4 public computers15K books & media on the shelves
What people borrow

Books and media off the shelf

6,465 print loans last year. The library didn’t report its e-book and e-audiobook loans.

6,465loans
Books & media (adults) 81%Kids’ books & media 19%
How hard the shelves work
0.4×

Each of the 15K books and other items on the shelves went out about 0.4 time last year, on average.

The building

Find it

Wesley Public Library, 206 Main St., Wesley.

37
hours open a week
2,040
square feet
15K
books & media
With a card

No late fees.

New in Wesley? 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 $2.17 worth

Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Wesley 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
1
Computer & Wi-Fi$3 a session
0
Your card saves you about
$324
a year at retail prices · $27 a month

Who pays for it
$105 per resident a year

Typical for a library this size: $54. Operating budget $60K.

Local taxes 97%State 3%

Last year the library lent and hosted about $130K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $60K 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 311 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 Wesley

Does Wesley have a public library?

Yes. Wesley Public Library, 206 Main St., serves Wesley’s 571 residents (the survey’s count) and is open about 37 hours a week, averaged over the year.

Is Wesley Public Library fine-free?

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

How busy is Wesley’s library?

It logged 6.0 visits and lent 11.3 print items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3.5 visits for libraries serving under 2,500 people.

What is Wesley’s civic life grade?

Wesley 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 Wesley.

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.