Republic’s library runs 3,177 programs per 1,000 residents, against a typical 60 for libraries its size
Rae Hobson Memorial Library serves Republic’s 79 residents. Last year it lent 351 books, movies and e-books and logged 654 visits.
Republic’s library, in brief
Kansas pays a big share
62% of the budget comes from the state, and 24% from local taxes. Nationally, most library money is local. What your card is worth ↓
53 times the programs of a typical library its size
Rae Hobson Memorial Library ran 251 programs last year, about 5 a week. That’s 3,177 per 1,000 residents, against a typical 60. People show up: 966 attended. Kids & programs ↓
Open only about 10 hours a week
Rae Hobson Memorial Library keeps short hours: about 10 a week, averaged over the year, so check its schedule before you go. The building ↓
A small-town library
Rae Hobson Memorial Library serves 79 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 ↓
Republic invests in its library
Rae Hobson Memorial Library spends $151 per resident a year, about three times the typical $54 for a library its size. What your card is worth ↓
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 Republic’s civic life grade
Republic 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.
Ahead of most similar-size libraries on 7 of 8 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving under 2,500 people across the U.S.
Rae Hobson Memorial Library serves 79 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving under 2,500.
A year at Rae Hobson Memorial Library
Fiscal year 2024. The library’s own count.
More than half the print loans are kids’ books
351 loans last year: print, kids’ and digital.
Each of the 4,788 books and other items on the shelves went out about 0.1 time last year, on average.
9 e-books, e-audiobooks and streams last year. Borrow from home with your card, plus research databases: courses, journals, genealogy and more.
Find it
Rae Hobson Memorial Library, 401 Pawnee Ave., Republic.
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 Republic? 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 $1.23 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Republic cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $54. Operating budget $12K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $15K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $12K 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 62 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 Republic
Does Republic have a public library?
Yes. Rae Hobson Memorial Library, 401 Pawnee Ave., serves Republic’s 79 residents (the survey’s count) and is open about 10 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Rae Hobson Memorial 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 Republic’s library?
It logged 8.3 visits and lent 4.4 items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3.5 visits for libraries serving under 2,500 people.
What is Republic’s civic life grade?
Republic 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 Republic.
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.