Martin’s library lends 1.4 print items per resident, against a typical 3.8 for libraries its size
J. C. Wheeler Public Library serves 6,661 people in and around Martin. Last year it lent 9,000 print books and media and logged 13K visits.
What Martin’s library is like
Kids’ books are most of what goes out
Children’s books and media make up 100% of print loans. Per resident, kids’ borrowing is lower than at 57% of similar-size libraries. What people borrow ↓
Runs on less money than most
J. C. Wheeler Public Library spends $12 per resident, less than 94% of similar-size libraries (typical: $43). 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; J. C. Wheeler Public Library serves 6,661 people in and around Martin, and its numbers cover all of them.
What’s behind Martin’s civic life grade
Martin 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 2 of 7 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people across the U.S.
J. C. Wheeler Public Library serves 6,661 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000.
Every hour the doors are open, about 7 items go out
Fiscal year 2024, for the whole J. C. Wheeler Public Library system. The library’s own count.
More than half the print loans are kids’ books
9,000 print loans last year. The library didn’t report its e-book and e-audiobook loans.
Borrow from home with your card, plus research databases: courses, journals, genealogy and more.
About 2 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
J. C. Wheeler Public Library, 1576 South Main Street, Martin.
No late fees. E-books and audiobooks from home. Research databases: courses, journals, genealogy. Good at every J. C. Wheeler Public Library branch.
New in Martin? 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 $1.65 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Martin cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $43. Operating budget $80K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $132K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $80K 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 3,833 cardholders ÷ 12.
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.
- System-wide. J. C. Wheeler Public Library serves 6,661 people in and around Martin, so the yearly numbers cover all of them, not just Martin.
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 Martin
Does Martin have a public library?
Yes. J. C. Wheeler Public Library, 1576 South Main Street, serves 6,661 people in and around Martin (the survey’s count) and is open about 25 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is J. C. Wheeler 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 Martin’s library?
It logged 1.9 visits and lent 1.4 print items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3 visits for libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people.
What is Martin’s civic life grade?
Martin 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 Martin.
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.