Photo: myself (User:Piotrus) · CC BY-SA 3.0Sharpsburg’s library is a branch of Washington County Free Library, which lends more per resident than 51% of systems its size
Sharpsburg’s library is the Sharpsburg Public Library Branch, a branch of Washington County Free Library, which serves 154,937 people and lent 708K items last year.
What Sharpsburg’s library is like
Maryland pays a big share
33% of the budget comes from the state, and 54% from local taxes. Nationally, most library money is local. What your card is worth ↓
Open only about 21 hours a week
The Sharpsburg branch keeps short hours: about 21 a week, averaged over the year, so check its schedule before you go. The building ↓
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; Sharpsburg’s library is a branch of Washington County Free Library, so they cover the whole system (154,937 people), not just the Sharpsburg branch.
What’s behind Sharpsburg’s civic life grade
Sharpsburg 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 100,000+ people across the U.S.
Washington County Free Library serves 154,937 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 100,000+.
Every hour the doors are open, about 44 items go out
Fiscal year 2024, for the whole Washington County Free Library system. The library’s own count.
Mostly books and media off the shelf
708K loans last year: print, kids’ and digital.
204,310 e-books, e-audiobooks and streams last year. Borrow from home with your card, plus research databases: courses, journals, genealogy and more.
About 24 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
Sharpsburg Public Library Branch, 106 E. Main St., Sharpsburg.
E-books and audiobooks from home. Research databases: courses, journals, genealogy. Good at every Washington County Free Library branch.
New in Sharpsburg? 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 $2.12 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Sharpsburg cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $36. Operating budget $5.2M.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $11M worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $5.2M budget.
Late fines apply to some overdue items.
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 70,375 cardholders ÷ 12.
What this data can and can’t tell you
From the Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024.
- System-wide. Sharpsburg Public Library Branch is one branch of Washington County Free Library, so the yearly numbers cover every branch and all 154,937 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 Sharpsburg
Does Sharpsburg have a public library?
Yes: Sharpsburg Public Library Branch, 106 E. Main St., is a branch of Washington County Free Library, which serves 154,937 people. The branch is open about 21 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Washington County Free Library fine-free? Does it lend e-books?
It charges late fines on some overdue items, and it lends e-books and audiobooks with a card (the library’s 2024 survey report).
How busy is Sharpsburg’s library?
It logged 2.4 visits and lent 4.6 items per resident in 2024, against a typical 2.1 visits for libraries serving 100,000+ people.
What is Sharpsburg’s civic life grade?
Sharpsburg 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 Sharpsburg.
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.