Photo: davidwilson1949 · CC BY 2.0Arco’s library is a branch of Lost Rivers District, which lends more per resident than 86% of systems its size
Arco’s library is the Lost Rivers Community District, a branch of Lost Rivers District, which serves 2,645 people and lent 24K items last year.
The short version on Arco’s library
More than half the print loans are for kids
Children’s books and media are 61% of print loans, and kids’ borrowing per resident is higher than at 92% of similar-size libraries. Kids & programs ↓
Nearly everyone the system serves has a card
2,615 cards for 2,645 people, or 99%. At the typical library serving 2,500 to 10,000 people, it’s 42%. How it compares ↓
Few programs for a library this size
The Lost Rivers District system offered 21 programs last year, 7.9 per 1,000 residents against a typical 34. Kids & programs ↓
Almost all the borrowing is off the shelf
Only 8% of loans are e-books, audiobooks or streaming, fewer per resident than at 58% of similar-size libraries. What people borrow ↓
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; Arco’s library is a branch of Lost Rivers District, so they cover the whole system (2,645 people), not just the Arco branch.
What’s behind Arco’s civic life grade
Arco 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 →
21 programs a year
Story times, clubs, classes and events, across the whole system, 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 5 of 8 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people across the U.S.
Lost Rivers District serves 2,645 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000.
Every hour the doors are open, about 9 items go out
Fiscal year 2024, for the whole Lost Rivers District system. The library’s own count.
More than half the print loans are kids’ books
24K loans last year: print, kids’ and digital.
2,046 e-books, e-audiobooks and streams last year. Borrow from home with your card, plus research databases: courses, journals, genealogy and more.
Find it
Lost Rivers Community District, 126 S Front St., Arco.
No late fees. E-books and audiobooks from home. Loans renew on their own if no one’s waiting. Research databases: courses, journals, genealogy. Good at every Lost Rivers District branch.
New in Arco? The Handbook →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 $2.64 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Arco cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $43. Operating budget $130K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $344K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $130K 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 2,615 cardholders ÷ 12.
What this data can and can’t tell you
From the Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024.
- System-wide. Lost Rivers Community District is one branch of Lost Rivers District, so the yearly numbers cover every branch and all 2,645 people it serves.
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 Arco
Does Arco have a public library?
Yes: Lost Rivers Community District, 126 S Front St., is a branch of Lost Rivers District, which serves 2,645 people. The branch is open about 36 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Lost Rivers District fine-free? Does it lend e-books?
Yes to both: no late fees, and e-books, audiobooks and research databases with a card (the library’s 2024 survey report).
How busy is Arco’s library?
It logged 5.0 visits and lent 9.1 items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3 visits for libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people.
What is Arco’s civic life grade?
Arco 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 Arco.
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.