Photo: Appyranch · CC BY-SA 3.0Alberton’s library is a branch of Mineral County Public Library, which lends more per resident than 82% of systems its size
Alberton’s library is the Alberton Branch Library, a branch of Mineral County Public Library, which serves 4,535 people and lent 39K items last year.
Alberton’s library, in brief
Open only about 13 hours a week
The Alberton branch keeps short hours: about 13 a week, averaged over the year, so check its schedule before you go. The building ↓
Programs lean toward adults
66% of the 362 programs last year were for adults: classes, talks, clubs and events. 105 were for children. 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; Alberton’s library is a branch of Mineral County Public Library, so they cover the whole system (4,535 people), not just the Alberton branch.
What’s behind Alberton’s civic life grade
Alberton 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, 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 6 of 8 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people across the U.S.
Mineral County Public Library serves 4,535 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000.
Every hour the doors are open, about 9 items go out
Fiscal year 2024, for the whole Mineral County Public Library system. The library’s own count.
Mostly books and media off the shelf
39K loans last year: print, kids’ and digital.
5,697 e-books, e-audiobooks and streams last year. Borrow from home with your card.
Find it
Alberton Branch Library, 701 Railroad Avenue, Alberton.
No late fees. E-books and audiobooks from home. Good at every Mineral County Public Library branch.
New in Alberton? 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 $4.50 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Alberton cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $43. Operating budget $139K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $627K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $139K 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 2,159 cardholders ÷ 12.
What this data can and can’t tell you
From the Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024.
- System-wide. Alberton Branch Library is one branch of Mineral County Public Library, so the yearly numbers cover every branch and all 4,535 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 Alberton
Does Alberton have a public library?
Yes: Alberton Branch Library, 701 Railroad Avenue, is a branch of Mineral County Public Library, which serves 4,535 people. The branch is open about 13 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Mineral County Public Library fine-free? Does it lend e-books?
Yes to both: no late fees, and e-books, audiobooks with a card (the library’s 2024 survey report).
How busy is Alberton’s library?
It logged 5.4 visits and lent 8.5 items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3 visits for libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people.
What is Alberton’s civic life grade?
Alberton 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 Alberton.
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.