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Center of downtown Clinton NYPhoto: kenneth c zirkel · CC BY-SA 3.0
Kirkland Town Library

Clinton’s library logs 5.3 visits per resident, against a typical 3.1 for libraries its size

Kirkland Town Library serves 10,075 people in and around Clinton. Last year it lent 81K books, movies and e-books and logged 53K visits.

55 1/2 College Street, Clinton 13323 · about 59 hours a week
BCivic lifeAhead of 60% of U.S. towns. Nonprofits and volunteering.
Borrowed a year
81K
8 per resident
Visits a year
53K
5.3 per resident · Above typical (3.1)
Programs & events
411
about 8 a week · 9,289 attended
Cardholders
59%
5,904 cards
Open
59 hrs
a week
In brief

Clinton’s library, in brief

Above typical on every measure

Against libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000 people, Kirkland Town Library is above the middle on all seven per-resident measures we compare, with six in the top 30%. No single number stands out, and none lags far behind. How it compares ↓

Kirkland Town Library serves more than Clinton

The library’s service area covers 10,075 people in and around Clinton, so its per-resident numbers are measured against that wider population. 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.

Civic life grade

What’s behind Clinton’s civic life grade

On community nonprofits and volunteering, Clinton is ahead of 60% of U.S. towns. Clinton is graded on two of the three inputs. Both inputs are above most U.S. towns; Clinton’s count of community nonprofits ranks highest.

B
Civic lifeA character grade: shown, never part of Clinton’s overall grade.
All U.S. towns we grade (17,556)Ahead of 60%
FewerMore
U.S. towns with similar incomes, $66K–$110K (8,531)Ahead of 61%

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.

How sure. Graded on two inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. Clinton is small (1,599 residents), so a few dozen organizations or visits move its per-resident figures; the volunteering share is a 2022 estimate from Facebook users aged 25–44.

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 →

Places to belong

8 community nonprofits are registered in Clinton

4.4 per 1,000 residents, against a U.S. town median of 3.7. The largest group: youth, sports & recreation.

Community nonprofits, by kind

Arts & culture10.39 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.24
Youth, sports & recreation20.88 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.52
Civic groups, clubs & veterans10.55 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.74
Human services10.50 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.59
Education10.39 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.43
Health00.17 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.16
Environment & animals10.39 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.17
Other21.05 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.47

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.

Volunteering

7.7%

7.7% of Clinton’s 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 Clinton’s residents live; 2022.

★ What stands out · A year at the library

Every hour the doors are open, about 26 items go out

Fiscal year 2024. The library’s own count.

53K
visits
5.3 per resident
81K
loans, print + digital
8 per resident
411
programs & events
9,289 attended
5,904
library cards
59% of people served
Every open hour26items borrowed
Every week179people at a program
Every day10Wi-Fi sessions
7 staff (full-time equivalent)9 public computers31K books & media on the shelves
How it compares

Ahead of most similar-size libraries on all 8 measures

Per resident, against libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000 people across the U.S.

Visits per resident 5.3 visits · typical 3.1Higher than 80%
Borrowing per resident 6 print items · typical 3.9Higher than 71%
Digital borrowing 2 e-items · typical 1.1Higher than 74%
Kids’ borrowing 2.6 kids’ items · typical 1.8Higher than 67%
Program attendance 0.9 attendees · typical 0.4Higher than 84%
Programs offered 40.8 per 1,000 residents · typical 24Higher than 78%
Cardholders 59% of residents · typical 40%Higher than 78%
Spending $46 per resident · typical $43Higher than 53%
Fewer per residentMore per resident
Ranked in NY#116Most-used librariesof 241 towns
#145Most library borrowingof 241 towns
#166Best libraries for kidsof 241 towns
Size group

Kirkland Town Library serves 10,075 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000.

What people borrow

Mostly books and media off the shelf

81K loans last year: print, kids’ and digital.

81Kloans
Books & media (adults) 42%Kids’ books & media 33%E-books, audio & streaming 25%
How hard the shelves work
2×

Each of the 31K books and other items on the shelves went out about 2 times last year, on average.

From your couch

19,955 e-books, e-audiobooks and streams last year. Borrow from home with your card, plus research databases: courses, journals, genealogy and more.

Kids & programs

About 4 kids’ programs a week

Story times, clubs, classes and events, by who they’re for.

Schools in Clinton →

Programs last year by age group

Ages 0–5163
Ages 6–1167
Teens11
Adults160
All ages10
Little ones
3.1

story times and programs a week for ages 0–5, on average.

26K
kids’ books & media borrowed
9,289
people at programs
411
programs
The building

Find it

Kirkland Town Library, 55 1/2 College Street, Clinton.

59
hours open a week
5,340
square feet
31K
books & media
With a card

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 Clinton? The Handbook →

Hours are the survey’s yearly average. Check the library’s own site for today’s hours.

What your card is worth

For every $1 it spends, the library lends about $2.83 worth

Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Clinton cardholder borrows.

In a month I’d use…
Books$17 each
1
Kids’ books$12 each
0
E-books & audio$15 each
0
Movies & music$4 each
0
Programs & classes$10 a program
0
Computer & Wi-Fi$3 a session
0
Your card saves you about
$204
a year at retail prices · $17 a month

Who pays for it
$46 per resident a year

Typical for a library this size: $43. Operating budget $459K.

Local taxes 71%State 5%Gifts & other 24%

Last year the library lent and hosted about $1.3M worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $459K 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 5,904 cardholders ÷ 12.

How to read these numbers

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 Clinton

Does Clinton have a public library?

Yes. Kirkland Town Library, 55 1/2 College Street, serves 10,075 people in and around Clinton (the survey’s count) and is open about 59 hours a week, averaged over the year.

Is Kirkland Town 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 Clinton’s library?

It logged 5.3 visits and lent 8.0 items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3.1 visits for libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000 people.

What is Clinton’s civic life grade?

B Clinton is ahead of 60% of U.S. towns on civic life. 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 Clinton.

Town Square →
Start a conversation

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.