Kenmare’s library is a branch of Ward County Public Library, which lends less per resident than 74% of systems its size
Kenmare’s library is the Kenmare Branch Library, a branch of Ward County Public Library, which serves 31,351 people and lent 64K items last year.
What Kenmare’s library is like
Programs are almost all for children
93% of the 161 programs last year were for ages 11 and under, including about 2.3 a week for ages 0–5. Kids & programs ↓
Below typical on every measure
Against libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people, the Ward County Public Library system sits below the middle on all seven per-resident measures we compare, and in the bottom 30% on five. How it compares ↓
Few programs for a library this size
The Ward County Public Library system offered 161 programs last year, 5.1 per 1,000 residents against a typical 14. Kids & programs ↓
Open only about 21 hours a week
The Kenmare branch keeps short hours: about 21 a week, averaged over the year, so check its schedule before you go. The building ↓
Fewer visits than most libraries its size
The Ward County Public Library system records 0.8 visits per resident, against a typical 2.6 for libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people, below 94% of similar-size libraries. Borrowing holds up better, at 1.9 print items per resident. How it compares ↓
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; Kenmare’s library is a branch of Ward County Public Library, so they cover the whole system (31,351 people), not just the Kenmare branch.
What’s behind Kenmare’s civic life grade
Kenmare 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 →
Below most similar-size libraries on all 8 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people across the U.S.
Ward County Public Library serves 31,351 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000.
Every hour the doors are open, about 12 items go out
Fiscal year 2024, for the whole Ward County Public Library system. The library’s own count.
More than half the print loans are kids’ books
64K loans last year: print, kids’ and digital.
3,110 e-books, e-audiobooks and streams last year. Borrow from home with your card, plus research databases: courses, journals, genealogy and more.
About 3 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.
Find it
Kenmare Branch Library, 5 NE 3rd St., Kenmare.
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 Ward County Public Library branch.
New in Kenmare? 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 $1.99 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Kenmare cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $40. Operating budget $480K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $956K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $480K 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 11,586 cardholders ÷ 12.
What this data can and can’t tell you
From the Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024.
- System-wide. Kenmare Branch Library is one branch of Ward County Public Library, so the yearly numbers cover every branch and all 31,351 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 Kenmare
Does Kenmare have a public library?
Yes: Kenmare Branch Library, 5 NE 3rd St., is a branch of Ward County Public Library, which serves 31,351 people. The branch is open about 21 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Ward County 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 Kenmare’s library?
It logged 0.8 visits and lent 2.0 items per resident in 2024, against a typical 2.6 visits for libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people.
What is Kenmare’s civic life grade?
Kenmare 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 Kenmare.
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.