Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Faison

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
Faison Branch Library (Emily Hill Library) · part of Duplin County Library

Faison’s library is a branch of Duplin County Library, which lends less per resident than 87% of systems its size

Faison’s library is the Faison Branch Library (Emily Hill Library), a branch of Duplin County Library, which serves 49,178 people and lent 62K items last year.

106 Park Cir, Faison 28341 · about 16 hours a week
–Civic lifeNot graded: fewer than 1,000 residents
Borrowed a year
62K
1.3 per resident
Visits a year
22K
0.4 per resident · Below typical (2.6)
Programs & events
217
about 4 a week · 5,297 attended
Cardholders
25%
12,097 cards
Open
16 hrs
a week at this branch
In brief

Faison’s library, in brief

The Duplin County Library system is used less than most libraries its size

The Duplin County Library system records 0.4 visits per resident, against a typical 2.6 for libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people. Borrowing is 1.1 print items per resident, against a typical 3.7. It also spends less than most: $14 per resident, against a typical $40. How it compares ↓

Open only about 16 hours a week

The Faison branch keeps short hours: about 16 a week, averaged over the year, so check its schedule before you go. The building ↓

Few programs for a library this size

The Duplin County Library system offered 217 programs last year, 4.4 per 1,000 residents against a typical 14. 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; Faison’s library is a branch of Duplin County Library, so they cover the whole system (49,178 people), not just the Faison branch.

Civic life grade

What’s behind Faison’s civic life grade

Faison isn’t graded on civic life: TownRatings grades towns of 1,000 residents or more.

–
Civic lifeA character grade: shown, never part of Faison’s overall grade.

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 →

How it compares

Below most similar-size libraries on all 8 measures

Per resident, against libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people across the U.S.

Visits per resident 0.4 visits · typical 2.6Bottom 10%
Borrowing per resident 1.1 print items · typical 3.7Lower than 87%
Digital borrowing 0.2 e-items · typical 1.2Bottom 10%
Kids’ borrowing 0.4 kids’ items · typical 1.7Lower than 87%
Program attendance 0.1 attendees · typical 0.3Lower than 89%
Programs offered 4.4 per 1,000 residents · typical 14Bottom 10%
Cardholders 25% of residents · typical 39%Lower than 79%
Spending $14 per resident · typical $40Lower than 89%
Fewer per residentMore per resident
Size group

Duplin County Library serves 49,178 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000.

A year at the library

Every hour the doors are open, about 8 items go out

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

22K
visits
0.4 per resident
62K
loans, print + digital
1.3 per resident
217
programs & events
5,297 attended
12K
library cards
25% of people served
Every open hour8items borrowed
Every week102people at a program
Every week422visits
9 staff (full-time equivalent)37 public computers
What people borrow

Mostly books and media off the shelf

62K loans last year: print, kids’ and digital.

62Kloans
Books & media (adults) 53%Kids’ books & media 34%E-books, audio & streaming 13%
From your couch

8,237 e-books, e-audiobooks and streams last year. Borrow from home with your card, plus research databases: courses, journals, genealogy and more.

Kids & programs

About 3 kids’ programs a week

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

Schools in Faison →

Programs last year by age group

Ages 0–5138
Ages 6–110
Teens13
Adults65
All ages1
Little ones
2.7

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

21K
kids’ books & media borrowed
5,297
people at programs
217
programs
The building

Find it

Faison Branch Library (Emily Hill Library), 106 Park Cir, Faison.

16
hours open a week
340
square feet
With a card

No late fees. E-books and audiobooks from home. Research databases: courses, journals, genealogy. Good at every Duplin County Library branch.

New in Faison? 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 $1.39 worth

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

In a month I’d use…
Books$17 each
1
Kids’ books$12 each
0
E-books & audio$15 each
0
Movies & music$4 each
0
Programs & classes$10 a program
0
Computer & Wi-Fi$3 a session
0
Your card saves you about
$204
a year at retail prices · $17 a month

Who pays for it
$14 per resident a year

Typical for a library this size: $40. Operating budget $710K.

Local taxes 80%State 18%Federal 1%

Last year the library lent and hosted about $986K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $710K 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 12,097 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. Faison Branch Library (Emily Hill Library) is one branch of Duplin County Library, so the yearly numbers cover every branch and all 49,178 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 Faison

Does Faison have a public library?

Yes: Faison Branch Library (Emily Hill Library), 106 Park Cir, is a branch of Duplin County Library, which serves 49,178 people. The branch is open about 16 hours a week, averaged over the year.

Is Duplin 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 Faison’s library?

It logged 0.4 visits and lent 1.3 items per resident in 2024, against a typical 2.6 visits for libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people.

What is Faison’s civic life grade?

Faison 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 Faison.

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.