Altoona’s library runs 598 programs per 1,000 residents, against a typical 60 for libraries its size
Altoona Public Library serves Altoona’s 343 residents. Last year it lent 555 books, movies and e-books and logged 3,851 visits.
The short version on Altoona’s library
More of a place to be than a place to borrow
Visits per resident beat 92% of similar-size libraries, while borrowing beats only 9%. The building also logs about 3 Wi-Fi sessions a day. Program attendance beats 89% of similar libraries. A year at the library ↓
Ten times the programs of a typical library its size
Altoona Public Library ran 205 programs last year, about 4 a week. That’s 598 per 1,000 residents, against a typical 60. People show up: 825 attended. Kids & programs ↓
A small-town library
Altoona Public Library serves 343 residents with about one full-time staff. 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 ↓
Open only about 20 hours a week
Altoona Public Library keeps short hours: about 20 a week, averaged over the year, so check its schedule before you go. The building ↓
40% of borrowing happens on a screen
E-books, e-audiobooks and streaming make up 40% of loans. That’s partly because print borrowing is low: digital loans per resident are below typical too. 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; in a town this small, one busy program or a few avid readers move the per-resident numbers.
What’s behind Altoona’s civic life grade
Altoona 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 →
About 2 kids’ programs a week
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 Altoona last year.
Ahead of most similar-size libraries on 5 of 8 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving under 2,500 people across the U.S.
Altoona Public Library serves 343 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving under 2,500.
A year at Altoona Public Library
Fiscal year 2024. The library’s own count.
40% of borrowing is digital
555 loans last year: print, kids’ and digital.
Each of the 6,186 books and other items on the shelves went out about 0.1 time last year, on average.
220 e-books, e-audiobooks and streams last year. Borrow from home with your card, plus research databases: courses, journals, genealogy and more.
Find it
Altoona Public Library, 714 Main, Altoona.
No late fees. E-books and audiobooks from home. Loans renew on their own if no one’s waiting. Research databases: courses, journals, genealogy.
New in Altoona? 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 $1.03 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Altoona cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $54. Operating budget $19K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $20K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $19K 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 251 cardholders ÷ 12.
What this data can and can’t tell you
From the Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024.
- The library’s own count. Libraries report their own visits, loans and programs. A library that didn’t respond keeps its address and hours here, with no numbers.
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 Altoona
Does Altoona have a public library?
Yes. Altoona Public Library, 714 Main, serves Altoona’s 343 residents (the survey’s count) and is open about 20 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Altoona Public Library 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 Altoona’s library?
It logged 11.2 visits and lent 1.6 items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3.5 visits for libraries serving under 2,500 people.
What is Altoona’s civic life grade?
Altoona 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 Altoona.
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.