Plum Township’s library runs 247 programs per 1,000 residents, against a typical 60 for libraries its size
Agra/F Lee Doctor Library serves 198 people in and around Plum Township. Last year it lent 478 print books and media and logged 1,291 visits.
The short version on Plum Township’s library
Kansas pays a big share
72% of the budget comes from the state, and 14% from local taxes. Nationally, most library money is local. What your card is worth ↓
More of a place to be than a place to borrow
Visits per resident beat 77% of similar-size libraries, while borrowing beats only 31%. Program attendance beats 89% of similar libraries. A year at the library ↓
Open only about 14 hours a week
Agra/F Lee Doctor Library keeps short hours: about 14 a week, averaged over the year, so check its schedule before you go. Kensington Community/School Library in Cedar Township, next door, is open about 42 hours a week. The building ↓
Four times the programs of a typical library its size
Agra/F Lee Doctor Library ran 49 programs last year, about 1 a week. That’s 247 per 1,000 residents, against a typical 60. People show up: 490 attended. Kids & programs ↓
A small-town library
Agra/F Lee Doctor Library serves 198 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 ↓
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 Plum Township’s civic life grade
Plum Township 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 →
49 programs a year
Story times, clubs, classes and events, by who they’re for.
Programs last year by age group
Ahead of most similar-size libraries on 5 of 7 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving under 2,500 people across the U.S.
Agra/F Lee Doctor Library serves 198 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving under 2,500.
A year at Agra/F Lee Doctor Library
Fiscal year 2024. The library’s own count.
Books and media off the shelf
478 print loans last year. The library didn’t report its e-book and e-audiobook loans.
Each of the 4,827 books and other items on the shelves went out about 0.1 time last year, on average.
Borrow from home with your card, plus research databases: courses, journals, genealogy and more.
Find it
Agra/F Lee Doctor Library, 222 Main, Agra.
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 Plum Township? The Handbook →Hours are the survey’s yearly average. Check the library’s own site for today’s hours.
What a library card is worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Plum Township cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $54. Operating budget $15K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $12K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $15K 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 107 cardholders ÷ 12.
Libraries next door
Plum Township ranks 3rd of 3 for borrowing per resident. Tap a town to see its library.
| Town | Library | Loans per resident | Hours | Civic life |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kirwin Township | Kirwin City Library fine-free | 32.7 | 24 | — under 1,000 residents |
| Cedar Township | Kensington Community/School Library fine-free | 18.2 | 42 | — under 1,000 residents |
| Plum Township | Agra/F Lee Doctor Library fine-free | 2.4 | 14 | — under 1,000 residents |
| Arcade Township | None of its own | — | — | — under 1,000 residents |
| Crystal Township | 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.
- 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 Plum Township
Does Plum Township have a public library?
Yes. Agra/F Lee Doctor Library, 222 Main, serves 198 people in and around Plum Township (the survey’s count) and is open about 14 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Agra/F Lee Doctor 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 Plum Township’s library?
It logged 6.5 visits and lent 2.4 print items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3.5 visits for libraries serving under 2,500 people.
What is Plum Township’s civic life grade?
Plum Township 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 Plum Township.
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.