Photo: Doug Kerr from Albany, New York, United States · CC BY-SA 2.0Athens’ library runs 106 programs per 1,000 residents, against a typical 34 for libraries its size
D.R. Evarts Library serves Athens’s 2,937 residents. Last year it lent 8,107 print books and media and logged 14K visits.
Athens’s library, in brief
Three times the programs of a typical library its size
D.R. Evarts Library ran 312 programs last year, about 6 a week. That’s 106 per 1,000 residents, against a typical 34. People show up: 3,689 attended. Kids & programs ↓
Every town next door borrows more
Athens’s library lends 2.8 items per resident. Each of the three neighboring towns with a library of its own lends more, led by Cairo at 5.4. Libraries next door ↓
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 Athens’ civic life grade
On community nonprofits and volunteering, Athens is ahead of 55% of U.S. towns, #333 of 751 in New York. Athens is graded on two of the three inputs. Athens’ count of community nonprofits holds the grade up; the share of younger adults in volunteering groups pulls it down.
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 →
21 community nonprofits are registered in Athens
5.2 per 1,000 residents, against a U.S. town median of 3.7. The largest group: human services.
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 (2 here), since whether a church registers depends on its denomination, not the town. 1 more name a national or statewide reach and are left out.
6.5%
6.5% of Athens’ Facebook users aged 25–44 belong to a volunteering or activism group, against 7.4% in the typical New York 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 Athens’ residents live; 2022.
About 3 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 Athens last year.
Ahead of most similar-size libraries on 5 of 7 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people across the U.S.
D.R. Evarts Library serves 2,937 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000.
Every hour the doors are open, about 4 items go out
Fiscal year 2024. The library’s own count.
Books and media off the shelf
8,107 print loans last year. The library didn’t report its e-book and e-audiobook loans.
Each of the 8,263 books and other items on the shelves went out about 1 time last year, on average.
Borrow from home with your card, plus research databases: courses, journals, genealogy and more.
Find it
D.R. Evarts Library, 80 Second Street, Athens.
No late fees. E-books and audiobooks from home. Loans renew on their own if no one’s waiting. Research databases: courses, journals, genealogy.
New in Athens? 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 Athens cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $43. Operating budget $196K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $180K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $196K 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 1,840 cardholders ÷ 12.
Libraries next door
Athens ranks 4th of 4 for borrowing per resident. Tap a town to see its library.
| Town | Library | Loans per resident | Hours | Civic life |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cairo | Cairo Public Library | 5.4 | 36 | B− |
| Hudson | Hudson Area Association Library fine-free | 5.0 | 43 | A |
| Coxsackie | Heermance Memorial Library fine-free | 3.0 | 37 | C+ |
| Athens | D.R. Evarts Library fine-free | 2.8 | 42 | B− |
| Catskill | Catskill Public Library fine-free | — | 42 | C+ |
| Greenport | None of its own | — | — | A |
| South Cairo | None of its own | — | — | — under 1,000 residents |
| Stockport | None of its own | — | — | A |
Loans = print + digital items borrowed in the library’s fiscal year, per person it serves. — = no library of its own, a county or regional system (its numbers cover many towns), or no report. Civic life: — = not graded (unincorporated places, whose nonprofits can’t be placed by mailing address, or towns with fewer than two of the three inputs).
What this data can and can’t tell you
From the Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024.
- Digital loans not reported. New York libraries often don’t report e-book loans, so borrowing here is print only.
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 Athens
Does Athens have a public library?
Yes. D.R. Evarts Library, 80 Second Street, serves Athens’ 2,937 residents (the survey’s count) and is open about 42 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is D.R. Evarts 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 Athens’ library?
It logged 4.7 visits and lent 2.8 print items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3 visits for libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people.
What is Athens’ civic life grade?
B− Athens is ahead of 55% of U.S. towns on civic life, #333 of 751 in New York. 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 Athens.
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.