Photo: I, the copyright holder of this work, hereby publish it under the following license: · CC BY-SA 3.0Saco’s library is a branch of Phillips County Library, which lends less per resident than 86% of systems its size
Saco’s library is the Saco Branch Library, a branch of Phillips County Library, which serves 4,217 people and lent 10K items last year.
The short version on Saco’s library
The Phillips County Library system is used less than most libraries its size
The Phillips County Library system records 0.9 visits per resident, against a typical 3 for libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people. Borrowing is 1.2 print items per resident, against a typical 3.8. How it compares ↓
Most of the system’s borrowing is digital
E-books, e-audiobooks and streaming make up 50% of loans. Print still makes up 50%. 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; Saco’s library is a branch of Phillips County Library, so they cover the whole system (4,217 people), not just the Saco branch.
What’s behind Saco’s civic life grade
Saco 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 →
50% of borrowing is digital
10K loans last year: print, kids’ and digital.
5,124 e-books, e-audiobooks and streams last year. Borrow from home with your card.
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.
Phillips County Library serves 4,217 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000.
Every hour the doors are open, about 4 items go out
Fiscal year 2024, for the whole Phillips County Library system. The library’s own count.
40 programs a year
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
Saco Branch Library, 201b Taylor Street, Saco.
No late fees. E-books and audiobooks from home. Good at every Phillips County Library branch.
New in Saco? 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 $1.29 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Saco cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $43. Operating budget $121K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $156K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $121K 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 1,812 cardholders ÷ 12.
What this data can and can’t tell you
From the Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024.
- System-wide. Saco Branch Library is one branch of Phillips County Library, so the yearly numbers cover every branch and all 4,217 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 Saco
Does Saco have a public library?
Yes: Saco Branch Library, 201b Taylor Street, is a branch of Phillips County Library, which serves 4,217 people.
Is Phillips County 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 Saco’s library?
It logged 0.9 visits and lent 2.4 items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3 visits for libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people.
What is Saco’s civic life grade?
Saco 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 Saco.
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.