Photo: Brandon Peterman (Zyrshnikashnu at en.wikipedia) · CC BY-SA 3.0Tonawanda Town’s library lends 5.1 print items per resident, against a typical 3.7 for libraries its size
Town of Tonawanda Public Library serves 72,636 people in and around Tonawanda Town. Last year it lent 371K print books and media and logged 146K visits.
The short version on Tonawanda Town’s library
The shelves work hard
Each of the 79,000 items on the shelves went out about 4.7 times last year, on average. What people borrow ↓
Few programs for a library this size
Town of Tonawanda Public Library offered 455 programs last year, 6.3 per 1,000 residents against a typical 14. Kids & programs ↓
Town of Tonawanda Public Library serves more than Tonawanda Town
The library’s service area covers 72,636 people in and around Tonawanda Town, 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 Tonawanda Town’s civic life grade
Tonawanda Town 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 →
Ahead of most similar-size libraries on 3 of 7 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people across the U.S.
Town of Tonawanda Public Library serves 72,636 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000.
Every hour the doors are open, about 76 items go out
Fiscal year 2024. The library’s own count.
Books and media off the shelf
371K print loans last year. The library didn’t report its e-book and e-audiobook loans.
Each of the 79K books and other items on the shelves went out about 4.7 times last year, on average.
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.
Find it
Kenilworth Branch Library, 318 Montrose Avenue, Buffalo.
No late fees. Loans renew on their own if no one’s waiting. Research databases: courses, journals, genealogy.
New in Tonawanda Town? 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 $4.37 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Tonawanda Town cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $40. Operating budget $1.3M.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $5.8M worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $1.3M 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 28,591 cardholders ÷ 12.
Libraries next door
Tonawanda Town ranks 4th of 6 for borrowing per resident. Tap a town to see its library.
| Town | Library | Loans per resident | Hours | Civic life |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amherst | Amherst Public Library fine-free | 7.6 | 63 | C+ |
| Tonawanda | City of Tonawanda Public Library fine-free | 6.9 | 47 | C |
| Grand Island | Grand Island Memorial Library fine-free | 6.0 | 45 | C+ |
| Tonawanda Town | Kenilworth Branch Library fine-free | 5.1 | 38 | — graded as part of its town |
| Tonawanda | Town of Tonawanda Public Library fine-free | 5.1 | 56 | C− |
| Kenmore | Town of Tonawanda Public Library fine-free | 5.1 | 56 | B− |
| North Tonawanda | North Tonawanda Public Library | — | 54 | C+ |
| Buffalo | Buffalo & Erie County Public Library System fine-free | — | 61 | C+ |
| Grandyle Village | 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 Tonawanda Town
Does Tonawanda Town have a public library?
Yes. Town of Tonawanda Public Library, 318 Montrose Avenue, serves 72,636 people in and around Tonawanda Town (the survey’s count) and is open about 38 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Town of Tonawanda Public Library fine-free?
Yes, no late fees (the library’s 2024 survey report).
How busy is Tonawanda Town’s library?
It logged 2.0 visits and lent 5.1 print items per resident in 2024, against a typical 2.6 visits for libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people.
What is Tonawanda Town’s civic life grade?
Tonawanda Town 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 Tonawanda Town.
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.