Photo: Royalbroil · CC BY-SA 3.0Pellston’s library is a branch of Mackinaw Area Public Library, which lends less per resident than 64% of systems its size
Pellston’s library is the Pellston Branch Library, a branch of Mackinaw Area Public Library, which serves 5,347 people and lent 23K items last year.
Pellston’s library, in brief
Four times the programs of a typical library its size
The Mackinaw Area Public Library system ran 759 programs last year, about 15 a week. That’s 142 per 1,000 residents, against a typical 34. People show up: 15,000 attended. Kids & programs ↓
Open only about 15 hours a week
The Pellston branch keeps short hours: about 15 a week, averaged over the year, so check its schedule before you go. The building ↓
Few residents carry a card
Only 16% of the people the system serves have a library card, against a typical 42% for its size. How it compares ↓
Most programs are for young children
66% of the 759 programs last year were for ages 11 and under, including about 3.3 a week for ages 0–5. Kids & programs ↓
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; Pellston’s library is a branch of Mackinaw Area Public Library, so they cover the whole system (5,347 people), not just the Pellston branch.
What’s behind Pellston’s civic life grade
Pellston 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 10 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.
Ahead of most similar-size libraries on 4 of 8 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people across the U.S.
Mackinaw Area Public Library serves 5,347 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000.
Every hour the doors are open, about 8 items go out
Fiscal year 2024, for the whole Mackinaw Area Public Library system. The library’s own count.
Mostly books and media off the shelf
23K loans last year: print, kids’ and digital.
8,231 e-books, e-audiobooks and streams last year. Borrow from home with your card, plus research databases: courses, journals, genealogy and more.
Find it
Pellston Branch Library, 125 North Milton Street, Pellston.
No late fees. E-books and audiobooks from home. Research databases: courses, journals, genealogy. Good at every Mackinaw Area Public Library branch.
New in Pellston? 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 $2.62 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Pellston cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $43. Operating budget $194K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $508K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $194K 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 857 cardholders ÷ 12.
What this data can and can’t tell you
From the Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024.
- System-wide. Pellston Branch Library is one branch of Mackinaw Area Public Library, so the yearly numbers cover every branch and all 5,347 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 Pellston
Does Pellston have a public library?
Yes: Pellston Branch Library, 125 North Milton Street, is a branch of Mackinaw Area Public Library, which serves 5,347 people. The branch is open about 15 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Mackinaw Area 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 Pellston’s library?
It logged 3.6 visits and lent 4.4 items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3 visits for libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people.
What is Pellston’s civic life grade?
Pellston 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 Pellston.
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.