Photo: Famartin · CC BY-SA 3.0Ely’s library is a branch of White Pine County Library, which lends less per resident than 82% of systems its size
Ely’s library is the White Pine County Public Library, a branch of White Pine County Library, which serves 10,005 people and lent 23K items last year.
What stands out about White Pine County Public Library
Read from the library’s own yearly report. The page puts what stands out first.
What’s behind Ely’s civic life grade
On community nonprofits and volunteering, Ely is ahead of 97% of U.S. towns, #1 of 16 in Nevada. Ely is graded on two of the three inputs. Both inputs are above most U.S. towns; the share of younger adults in volunteering groups ranks highest.
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 →
25 community nonprofits are registered in Ely
6.4 per 1,000 residents, against a U.S. town median of 3.7. The largest group: education.
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 (1 here), since whether a church registers depends on its denomination, not the town.
16.2%
16.2% of Ely’s Facebook users aged 25–44 belong to a volunteering or activism group, against 7.0% in the typical Nevada 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 Ely’s residents live; 2022.
Ahead of most similar-size libraries on 2 of 8 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000 people across the U.S.
White Pine County Library serves 10,005 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000.
Every hour the doors are open, about 9 items go out
Fiscal year 2024, for the whole White Pine County Library system. The library’s own count.
Mostly books and media off the shelf
23K loans last year: print, kids’ and digital.
7,211 e-books, e-audiobooks and streams last year. Borrow from home with your card, plus research databases: courses, journals, genealogy and more.
About 5 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
White Pine County Public Library, 950 Campton Street, Ely.
E-books and audiobooks from home. Research databases: courses, journals, genealogy. Good at every White Pine County Library branch.
New in Ely? 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 Ely cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $43. Operating budget $413K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $405K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $413K 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 5,135 cardholders ÷ 12.
What this data can and can’t tell you
From the Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024.
- System-wide. White Pine County Public Library is one branch of White Pine County Library, so the yearly numbers cover every branch and all 10,005 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 Ely
Does Ely have a public library?
Yes: White Pine County Public Library, 950 Campton Street, is a branch of White Pine County Library, which serves 10,005 people. The branch is open about 48 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is White Pine County 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 Ely’s library?
It logged 2.4 visits and lent 2.3 items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3.1 visits for libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000 people.
What is Ely’s civic life grade?
A+ Ely is ahead of 97% of U.S. towns on civic life, #1 of 16 in Nevada. 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 Ely.
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.