East Islip’s library runs 56 programs per 1,000 residents, against a typical 14 for libraries its size
East Islip Public Library serves 25,285 people in and around East Islip. Last year it lent 152K books, movies and e-books and logged 105K visits.
East Islip’s library, in brief
Four times the programs of a typical library its size
East Islip Public Library ran 1,417 programs last year, about 27 a week. That’s 56 per 1,000 residents, against a typical 14. People show up: 23,000 attended. Kids & programs ↓
47% of borrowing happens on a screen
E-books, e-audiobooks and streaming make up 47% of loans, more per resident than at 85% of similar-size libraries. Print still makes up 53%, much of it kids’ books. What people borrow ↓
A well-funded system
East Islip Public Library spends $158 per resident a year, about four times the typical $40 for a library its size. Almost all of it (93%) comes from local taxes. What your card is worth ↓
Open about 67 hours a week
The East Islip branch is open about 67 hours a week, averaged over the year. The building ↓
Programs lean toward adults
68% of the 1,417 programs last year were for adults: classes, talks, clubs and events. 385 were for children. Kids & programs ↓
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; East Islip Public Library serves 25,285 people in and around East Islip, and its numbers cover all of them.
What’s behind East Islip’s civic life grade
East Islip 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 →
About 7 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.
Ahead of most similar-size libraries on 6 of 8 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people across the U.S.
East Islip Public Library serves 25,285 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000.
Every hour the doors are open, about 43 items go out
Fiscal year 2024, for the whole East Islip Public Library system. The library’s own count.
47% of borrowing is digital
152K loans last year: print, kids’ and digital.
71,213 e-books, e-audiobooks and streams last year. Borrow from home with your card, plus research databases: courses, journals, genealogy and more.
Find it
East Islip Public Library, 381 East Main Street, East Islip.
E-books and audiobooks from home. Loans renew on their own if no one’s waiting. Research databases: courses, journals, genealogy. Good at every East Islip Public Library branch.
New in East Islip? 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 East Islip cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $40. Operating budget $4M.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $2.5M worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $4M 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 17,330 cardholders ÷ 12.
Libraries next door
Who has a library of their own, and how much each town borrows. Tap a town to see its library.
| Town | Library | Loans per resident | Hours | Civic life |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| East Islip | East Islip Public Library | — | 67 | — graded as part of its town |
| Great River | None of its own | — | — | — graded as part of its town |
| Islip Terrace | None of its own | — | — | — graded as part of its town |
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.
- System-wide. East Islip Public Library serves 25,285 people in and around East Islip, so the yearly numbers cover all of them, not just East Islip.
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 East Islip
Does East Islip have a public library?
Yes. East Islip Public Library, 381 East Main Street, serves 25,285 people in and around East Islip (the survey’s count) and is open about 67 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is East Islip 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 East Islip’s library?
It logged 4.2 visits and lent 6.0 items per resident in 2024, against a typical 2.6 visits for libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people.
What is East Islip’s civic life grade?
East Islip 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 East Islip.
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.