Blanchard’s library is a branch of West Bonner District, which lends more per resident than 74% of systems its size
Blanchard’s library is the West Bonner District - Blanchard Branch, a branch of West Bonner District, which serves 9,130 people and lent 64K items last year.
What stands out about West Bonner District - Blanchard Branch
Read from the library’s own yearly report. The page puts what stands out first.
What’s behind Blanchard’s civic life grade
Blanchard 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 →
Ahead of most similar-size libraries on 4 of 8 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people across the U.S.
West Bonner District serves 9,130 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000.
Every hour the doors are open, about 17 items go out
Fiscal year 2024, for the whole West Bonner District system. The library’s own count.
Mostly books and media off the shelf
64K loans last year: print, kids’ and digital.
7,671 e-books, e-audiobooks and streams last year. Borrow from home with your card, plus research databases: courses, journals, genealogy and more.
About 2 kids’ programs a week
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.
Find it
West Bonner District - Blanchard Branch, 412 Railroad Ave, Blanchard.
No late fees. E-books and audiobooks from home. Research databases: courses, journals, genealogy. Good at every West Bonner District branch.
New in Blanchard? 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 $3.02 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Blanchard cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $43. Operating budget $520K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $1.6M worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $520K 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 2,425 cardholders ÷ 12.
What this data can and can’t tell you
From the Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024.
- System-wide. West Bonner District - Blanchard Branch is one branch of West Bonner District, so the yearly numbers cover every branch and all 9,130 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 Blanchard
Does Blanchard have a public library?
Yes: West Bonner District - Blanchard Branch, 412 Railroad Ave, is a branch of West Bonner District, which serves 9,130 people. The branch is open about 29 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is West Bonner 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 Blanchard’s library?
It logged 3.4 visits and lent 7.0 items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3 visits for libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people.
What is Blanchard’s civic life grade?
Blanchard 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 Blanchard.
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.