Broadwater’s library runs 2,677 programs per 1,000 residents, against a typical 60 for libraries its size
Broadwater Public Library serves Broadwater’s 96 residents. Last year it lent 603 books, movies and e-books and logged 960 visits.
The short version on Broadwater’s library
More library cards than residents
203 cards for 96 people. Cards held by people from outside the service area count too, so the total can pass the population. At the typical library serving under 2,500 people, it’s 54%. How it compares ↓
45 times the programs of a typical library its size
Broadwater Public Library ran 257 programs last year, about 5 a week. That’s 2,677 per 1,000 residents, against a typical 60. People show up: 791 attended. Kids & programs ↓
Open only about 14 hours a week
Broadwater Public Library keeps short hours: about 14 a week, averaged over the year, so check its schedule before you go. The building ↓
A small-town library
Broadwater Public Library serves 96 residents with about one full-time staff. It’s compared only with libraries serving under 2,500 people, because per-person numbers always look big in a small town. A year at the library ↓
People come to Broadwater Public Library a lot
Broadwater Public Library logs 10 visits per resident, against a typical 3.5 for libraries serving under 2,500 people, more than 90% of similar-size libraries. Borrowing is above typical too, at 6.3 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; in a town this small, one busy program or a few avid readers move the per-resident numbers.
What’s behind Broadwater’s civic life grade
Broadwater 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 →
257 programs a year
Story times, clubs, classes and events, 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 7 of 8 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving under 2,500 people across the U.S.
Broadwater Public Library serves 96 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving under 2,500.
A year at Broadwater Public Library
Fiscal year 2024. The library’s own count.
Mostly books and media off the shelf
603 loans last year: print, kids’ and digital.
Each of the 9,156 books and other items on the shelves went out about 0.1 time last year, on average.
Find it
Broadwater Public Library, 251 N Starr St., Broadwater.
No late fees. Research databases: courses, journals, genealogy.
New in Broadwater? 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 $1.21 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Broadwater cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $54. Operating budget $14K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $17K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $14K 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 203 cardholders ÷ 12.
What this data can and can’t tell you
From the Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024.
- The library’s own count. Libraries report their own visits, loans and programs. A library that didn’t respond keeps its address and hours here, with no numbers.
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 Broadwater
Does Broadwater have a public library?
Yes. Broadwater Public Library, 251 N Starr St., serves Broadwater’s 96 residents (the survey’s count) and is open about 14 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Broadwater Public Library fine-free?
Yes, no late fees (the library’s 2024 survey report).
How busy is Broadwater’s library?
It logged 10.0 visits and lent 6.3 items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3.5 visits for libraries serving under 2,500 people.
What is Broadwater’s civic life grade?
Broadwater 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 Broadwater.
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.