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Long Lake Library · part of Hennepin County Library

Long Lake’s library is a branch of Hennepin County Library, which lends more per resident than 92% of systems its size

Long Lake’s library is the Long Lake Library, a branch of Hennepin County Library, which serves 1,297,847 people and lent 18M items last year.

1865 Wayzata Blvd West, Long Lake 55356 · about 23 hours a week
A−Civic lifeAhead of 79% of U.S. towns. Nonprofits and volunteering.
Directions (612) 543-6425 What’s a card worth?
Borrowed a year
18M
13.7 per resident
Visits a year
4.8M
3.7 per resident · Above typical (2.1)
Programs & events
9,940
about 191 a week · 147K attended
Cardholders
50%
646,260 cards
Open
23 hrs
a week at this branch
In brief

Long Lake’s library, in brief

More than half the print loans are for kids

Children’s books and media are 56% of print loans, and kids’ borrowing per resident is higher than at 92% of similar-size libraries. Kids & programs ↓

One of the busiest library systems its size

The Hennepin County Library system logs 3.7 visits per resident, against a typical 2.1 for libraries serving 100,000+ people, and lends 8.9 print items per resident against a typical 3.2. On both counts it beats 87% of similar-size libraries across the U.S. How it compares ↓

Big on e-books and audiobooks

Digital borrowing runs 4.9 e-items per resident, against a typical 1.4, higher than at 94% of similar-size libraries. It’s 35% of all loans. What people borrow ↓

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; Long Lake’s library is a branch of Hennepin County Library, so they cover the whole system (1,297,847 people), not just the Long Lake branch.

Civic life grade

What’s behind Long Lake’s civic life grade

On community nonprofits and volunteering, Long Lake is ahead of 79% of U.S. towns. Long Lake is graded on two of the three inputs. Both inputs are above most U.S. towns; Long Lake’s count of community nonprofits ranks highest.

A−
Civic lifeA character grade: shown, never part of Long Lake’s overall grade.
–Library visitsServed by a county or regional system, so there is no town figureACommunity nonprofits6.9 per 1,000 residents · MN towns 4.2 · U.S. 3.7B−Volunteering7.7% of adults 25–44 · MN towns 7.4% · U.S. 7.5%
All U.S. towns we grade (17,556)Ahead of 79%
FewerMore
U.S. towns with similar incomes, $82K–$136K (5,913)Ahead of 82%

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.

How sure. Graded on two inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. Long Lake is small (1,944 residents), so a few dozen organizations or visits move its per-resident figures; the volunteering share is a 2022 estimate from Facebook users aged 25–44.

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 →

Places to belong

12 community nonprofits are registered in Long Lake

6.9 per 1,000 residents, against a U.S. town median of 3.7. The largest group: youth, sports & recreation.

Community nonprofits, by kind

Arts & culture00.23 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.24
Youth, sports & recreation42.03 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.52
Civic groups, clubs & veterans10.69 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.74
Human services10.69 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.59
Education31.56 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.43
Health10.69 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.16
Environment & animals00.17 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.17
Other20.87 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.47

Counted from the IRS list of tax-exempt organizations by mailing address (fractions where a ZIP code spans towns). Congregations are counted apart (2 here), since whether a church registers depends on its denomination, not the town.

Volunteering

7.7%

7.7% of Long Lake’s Facebook users aged 25–44 belong to a volunteering or activism group, against 7.4% in the typical Minnesota town and 7.5% nationally.

Volunteering: Social Capital Atlas (Opportunity Insights), from data by Meta Platforms, Inc.; Chetty et al., Nature 2022. ZIP-code figures, weighted by where Long Lake’s residents live; 2022.

★ What stands out · Kids & programs

About 104 kids’ programs a week

Story times, clubs, classes and events, across the whole system, by who they’re for.

Schools in Long Lake →

Programs last year by age group

Ages 0–52,401
Ages 6–112,997
Teens577
Adults3,569
All ages396
Little ones
46.2

story times and programs a week for ages 0–5, on average.

6.5M
kids’ books & media borrowed
147K
people at programs
9,940
programs
How it compares

Ahead of most similar-size libraries on 6 of 8 measures

Per resident, against libraries serving 100,000+ people across the U.S.

Visits per resident 3.7 visits · typical 2.1Higher than 87%
Borrowing per resident 8.9 print items · typical 3.2Top 10%
Digital borrowing 4.9 e-items · typical 1.4Top 10%
Kids’ borrowing 5 kids’ items · typical 1.6Top 10%
Program attendance 0.1 attendees · typical 0.2Lower than 85%
Programs offered 7.7 per 1,000 residents · typical 9Lower than 62%
Cardholders 50% of residents · typical 41%Higher than 68%
Spending $58 per resident · typical $36Higher than 74%
Fewer per residentMore per resident
Size group

Hennepin County Library serves 1,297,847 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 100,000+.

A year at the library

Every hour the doors are open, about 177 items go out

Fiscal year 2024, for the whole Hennepin County Library system. The library’s own count.

4.8M
visits
3.7 per resident
18M
loans, print + digital
13.7 per resident
9,940
programs & events
147K attended
646K
library cards
50% of people served
Every open hour177items borrowed
Every week2,819people at a program
Every day25,351Wi-Fi sessions
534 staff (full-time equivalent)1,130 public computers
What people borrow

More than half the print loans are kids’ books

18M loans last year: print, kids’ and digital.

18Mloans
Books & media (adults) 28%Kids’ books & media 36%E-books, audio & streaming 35%
From your couch

6,304,516 e-books, e-audiobooks and streams last year. Borrow from home with your card, plus research databases: courses, journals, genealogy and more.

The building

Find it

Long Lake Library, 1865 Wayzata Blvd West, Long Lake.

Directions(612) 543-6425
23
hours open a week
1,883
square feet
With a card

No late fees. E-books and audiobooks from home. Loans renew on their own if no one’s waiting. Research databases: courses, journals, genealogy. Good at every Hennepin County Library branch.

New in Long Lake? The Handbook →

Hours are the survey’s yearly average. Check the library’s own site for today’s hours.

What your card is worth

For every $1 it spends, the library lends about $3.83 worth

Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Long Lake cardholder borrows.

In a month I’d use…
Books$17 each
1
Kids’ books$12 each
1
E-books & audio$15 each
1
Movies & music$4 each
0
Programs & classes$10 a program
0
Computer & Wi-Fi$3 a session
1
Your card saves you about
$564
a year at retail prices · $47 a month

Who pays for it
$58 per resident a year

Typical for a library this size: $36. Operating budget $75M.

Local taxes 90%Federal 1%Gifts & other 9%

Last year the library lent and hosted about $287M worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $75M 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 646,260 cardholders ÷ 12.

How to read these numbers

What this data can and can’t tell you

From the Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024.

  • System-wide. Long Lake Library is one branch of Hennepin County Library, so the yearly numbers cover every branch and all 1,297,847 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 Long Lake

Does Long Lake have a public library?

Yes: Long Lake Library, 1865 Wayzata Blvd West, is a branch of Hennepin County Library, which serves 1,297,847 people. The branch is open about 23 hours a week, averaged over the year.

Is Hennepin County 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 Long Lake’s library?

It logged 3.7 visits and lent 13.7 items per resident in 2024, against a typical 2.1 visits for libraries serving 100,000+ people.

What is Long Lake’s civic life grade?

A− Long Lake is ahead of 79% of U.S. towns on civic life. The grade combines library visits per resident, community nonprofits per 1,000 residents and the share of adults 25–44 in volunteering groups. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.

Book talk

Reading, story times and the library in Long Lake.

Town Square →
Start a conversation

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.