Photo: Jon Roanhaus · CC BY-SA 4.0Potlatch’s library is a branch of Latah County District, which lends more per resident than 56% of systems its size
Potlatch’s library is the Latah County District - Potlatch, a branch of Latah County District, which serves 41,271 people and lent 250K items last year.
The short version on Potlatch’s library
Open only about 22 hours a week
The Potlatch branch keeps short hours: about 22 a week, averaged over the year, so check its schedule before you go. The building ↓
Most programs are for young children
73% of the 401 programs last year were for ages 11 and under, including about 4.5 a week for ages 0–5. 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; Potlatch’s library is a branch of Latah County District, so they cover the whole system (41,271 people), not just the Potlatch branch.
What’s behind Potlatch’s civic life grade
Potlatch 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 5 of 8 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people across the U.S.
Latah County District serves 41,271 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000.
Every hour the doors are open, about 30 items go out
Fiscal year 2024, for the whole Latah County District system. The library’s own count.
Mostly books and media off the shelf
250K loans last year: print, kids’ and digital.
73,717 e-books, e-audiobooks and streams last year. Borrow from home with your card, plus research databases: courses, journals, genealogy and more.
About 6 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
Latah County District - Potlatch, 1010 Onaway Rd, Potlatch.
No late fees. E-books and audiobooks from home. Research databases: courses, journals, genealogy. Good at every Latah County District branch.
New in Potlatch? 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 $2.22 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Potlatch cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $40. Operating budget $1.7M.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $3.8M worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $1.7M 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 16,904 cardholders ÷ 12.
Libraries next door
Who has a library of their own, and how much each town borrows. Tap a town to see its library.
| Town | Library | Loans per resident | Hours | Civic life |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Potlatch | Latah County District - Potlatch fine-free | — | 22 | — under 1,000 residents |
| Onaway | None of its own | — | — | — under 1,000 residents |
Loans = print + digital items borrowed in the library’s fiscal year, per person it serves. — = no library of its own, a county or regional system (its numbers cover many towns), or no report. Civic life: — = not graded (unincorporated places, whose nonprofits can’t be placed by mailing address, or towns with fewer than two of the three inputs).
What this data can and can’t tell you
From the Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024.
- System-wide. Latah County District - Potlatch is one branch of Latah County District, so the yearly numbers cover every branch and all 41,271 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 Potlatch
Does Potlatch have a public library?
Yes: Latah County District - Potlatch, 1010 Onaway Rd, is a branch of Latah County District, which serves 41,271 people. The branch is open about 22 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Latah County 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 Potlatch’s library?
It logged 2.3 visits and lent 6.1 items per resident in 2024, against a typical 2.6 visits for libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people.
What is Potlatch’s civic life grade?
Potlatch 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 Potlatch.
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.