Photo: AllenS · Public domainLovington’s library logs 1.6 visits per resident, against a typical 3.1 for libraries its size
Lovington Public Library serves Lovington’s 11,668 residents. Last year it lent 15K books, movies and e-books and logged 18K visits.
The short version on Lovington’s library
Most programs are for young children
79% of the 125 programs last year were for ages 11 and under, including about 1.3 a week for ages 0–5. Kids & programs ↓
Kids’ books are most of what goes out
Children’s books and media make up 63% of print loans. Per resident, kids’ borrowing is lower than at 86% of similar-size libraries, so the high share mostly reflects light borrowing by adults. What people borrow ↓
44% of borrowing happens on a screen
E-books, e-audiobooks and streaming make up 44% of loans. That’s partly because print borrowing is low: digital loans per resident are below typical too. What people borrow ↓
A big collection for the borrowing it gets
Lovington Public Library holds 42,000 books and other items, but the average item went out less than once last year. 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.
What’s behind Lovington’s civic life grade
On library visits, community nonprofits and volunteering, Lovington is ahead of 6% of U.S. towns, #41 of 46 in New Mexico. All three inputs sit below most U.S. towns; Lovington’s count of community nonprofits comes closest to the middle.
Most U.S. towns with similar household incomes ($52K–$86K) score higher, so income alone doesn’t account for it.
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 →
29 community nonprofits are registered in Lovington
2.5 per 1,000 residents, against a U.S. town median of 3.7. The largest group: civic groups, clubs & veterans.
Community nonprofits, by kind
Counted from the IRS list of tax-exempt organizations by mailing address (fractions where a ZIP code spans towns). Congregations are counted apart (18 here), since whether a church registers depends on its denomination, not the town.
3.4%
3.4% of Lovington’s Facebook users aged 25–44 belong to a volunteering or activism group, against 5.2% in the typical New Mexico town and 7.5% nationally.
Volunteering: Social Capital Atlas (Opportunity Insights), from data by Meta Platforms, Inc.; Chetty et al., Nature 2022. ZIP-code figures, weighted by where Lovington’s residents live; 2022.
Ahead of most similar-size libraries on 1 of 8 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000 people across the U.S.
Lovington Public Library serves 11,668 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000.
Every hour the doors are open, about 7 items go out
Fiscal year 2024. The library’s own count.
44% of borrowing is digital
15K loans last year: print, kids’ and digital.
Each of the 42K books and other items on the shelves went out about 0.2 time last year, on average.
6,779 e-books, e-audiobooks and streams last year. Borrow from home with your card, plus research databases: courses, journals, genealogy and more.
About 2 kids’ programs a week
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.
children’s books and media borrowed per child under 18 in Lovington last year.
Find it
Lovington Public Library, 115 South Main St., Lovington.
E-books and audiobooks from home. Research databases: courses, journals, genealogy.
New in Lovington? The Handbook →Hours are the survey’s yearly average. Check the library’s own site for today’s hours.
What a library card is worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Lovington cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $43. Operating budget $371K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $250K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $371K budget.
Late fines apply to some overdue items.
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 8,095 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 Lovington
Does Lovington have a public library?
Yes. Lovington Public Library, 115 South Main St., serves Lovington’s 11,668 residents (the survey’s count) and is open about 43 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Lovington Public Library fine-free? Does it lend e-books?
It charges late fines on some overdue items, and it lends e-books and audiobooks with a card (the library’s 2024 survey report).
How busy is Lovington’s library?
It logged 1.6 visits and lent 1.3 items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3.1 visits for libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000 people.
What is Lovington’s civic life grade?
D Lovington is ahead of 6% of U.S. towns on civic life, #41 of 46 in New Mexico. The grade combines library visits per resident, community nonprofits per 1,000 residents and the share of adults 25–44 in volunteering groups. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
Book talk
Reading, story times and the library in Lovington.
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.