Whittemore’s library lends 12 print items per resident, against a typical 3.9 for libraries its size
Whittemore Public Library serves Whittemore’s 1,054 residents. Last year it lent 13K print books and media and logged 7,020 visits.
Whittemore’s library, in brief
A small-town library
Whittemore Public Library serves 1,054 residents with about one full-time staff, open about 28 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 ↓
Whittemore is a town of borrowers
Whittemore Public Library lends 12 print items per resident, against a typical 3.9 for libraries serving under 2,500 people, more than 92% of similar-size libraries. What people borrow ↓
Kids borrow more here than almost anywhere
Children’s books and media are 36% of print loans, and kids’ borrowing per resident is higher than at 86% of similar-size libraries. That works out to about 35 items per child in Whittemore last year. Kids & programs ↓
Programs lean toward adults
60% of the 142 programs last year were for adults: classes, talks, clubs and events. 49 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 Whittemore’s civic life grade
Whittemore 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 →
Books and media off the shelf
13K print loans last year. The library didn’t report its e-book and e-audiobook loans.
Each of the 19K books and other items on the shelves went out about 0.7 time last year, 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.
Whittemore Public Library serves 1,054 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving under 2,500.
Every hour the doors are open, about 9 items go out
Fiscal year 2024. The library’s own count.
142 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 Whittemore last year.
Find it
Whittemore Public Library, 405 4th St., Whittemore.
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 $2.16 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Whittemore cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $54. Operating budget $102K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $221K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $102K 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 322 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 Whittemore
Does Whittemore have a public library?
Yes. Whittemore Public Library, 405 4th St., serves Whittemore’s 1,054 residents (the survey’s count) and is open about 28 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Whittemore Public Library fine-free?
Yes, no late fees (the library’s 2024 survey report).
How busy is Whittemore’s library?
It logged 6.7 visits and lent 12.5 print items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3.5 visits for libraries serving under 2,500 people.
What is Whittemore’s civic life grade?
Whittemore 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 Whittemore.
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.