Elma Center’s library lends 9.2 print items per resident, against a typical 3.9 for libraries its size
Elma Public Library serves 11,721 people in and around Elma Center. Last year it lent 108K print books and media and logged 42K visits.
Elma Center’s library, in brief
Elma Center is a town of borrowers
Elma Public Library lends 9.2 print items per resident, against a typical 3.9 for libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000 people, more than 88% of similar-size libraries. Each item on the shelves went out about 2.6 times last year. What people borrow ↓
Kids borrow more here than almost anywhere
Children’s books and media are 48% of print loans, and kids’ borrowing per resident is higher than at 86% of similar-size libraries. Kids & programs ↓
Elma Public Library serves more than Elma Center
The library’s service area covers 11,721 people in and around Elma Center, 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.
What’s behind Elma Center’s civic life grade
Elma Center 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 →
Almost half the print loans are kids’ books
108K print loans last year. The library didn’t report its e-book and e-audiobook loans.
Each of the 41K books and other items on the shelves went out about 2.6 times last year, on average.
Ahead of most similar-size libraries on 6 of 7 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000 people across the U.S.
Elma Public Library serves 11,721 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000.
Every hour the doors are open, about 47 items go out
Fiscal year 2024. The library’s own count.
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.
Find it
Elma Public Library, 1860 Bowen Road, Elma.
No late fees. Loans renew on their own if no one’s waiting. Research databases: courses, journals, genealogy.
New in Elma Center? The Handbook →Hours are the survey’s yearly average. Check the library’s own site for today’s hours.
For every $1 it spends, the library lends about $4.27 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Elma Center cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $43. Operating budget $384K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $1.6M worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $384K 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 6,213 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elma Center | Elma Public Library fine-free | 9.2 | 44 | — graded as part of its town |
| Billington Heights | 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.
- 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 Elma Center
Does Elma Center have a public library?
Yes. Elma Public Library, 1860 Bowen Road, serves 11,721 people in and around Elma Center (the survey’s count) and is open about 44 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Elma Public Library fine-free?
Yes, no late fees (the library’s 2024 survey report).
How busy is Elma Center’s library?
It logged 3.6 visits and lent 9.2 print items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3.1 visits for libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000 people.
What is Elma Center’s civic life grade?
Elma Center 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 Elma Center.
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.