Photo: LINYperson615 · CC BY-SA 4.0University Gardens’ library is a branch of Great Neck Library, which lends more per resident than 86% of systems its size
University Gardens’s library is the Great Neck Library - Lakeville Branch, a branch of Great Neck Library, which serves 48,178 people and lent 566K items last year.
University Gardens’s library, in brief
Four times the programs of a typical library its size
The Great Neck Library system ran 2,759 programs last year, about 53 a week. That’s 57 per 1,000 residents, against a typical 14. People show up: 48,000 attended. Kids & programs ↓
More than half the print loans are for kids
Children’s books and media are 57% of print loans, and kids’ borrowing per resident is higher than at 90% of similar-size libraries. Kids & programs ↓
One of the busiest library systems its size
The Great Neck Library system logs 5.4 visits per resident, against a typical 2.6 for libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people, and lends 8.7 print items per resident against a typical 3.7. On both counts it beats 86% of similar-size libraries across the U.S. How it compares ↓
A well-funded system
The Great Neck Library system spends $181 per resident a year, about five times the typical $40 for a library its size. Almost all of it (97%) comes from local taxes. What your card is worth ↓
Big on e-books and audiobooks
Digital borrowing runs 3.1 e-items per resident, against a typical 1.2, higher than at 88% of similar-size libraries. It’s 26% of all loans. What people borrow ↓
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; University Gardens’s library is a branch of Great Neck Library, so they cover the whole system (48,178 people), not just the University Gardens branch.
What’s behind University Gardens’ civic life grade
University Gardens 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 19 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 all 8 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people across the U.S.
Great Neck Library serves 48,178 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000.
Every hour the doors are open, about 54 items go out
Fiscal year 2024, for the whole Great Neck Library system. The library’s own count.
More than half the print loans are kids’ books
566K loans last year: print, kids’ and digital.
147,371 e-books, e-audiobooks and streams last year. Borrow from home with your card, plus research databases: courses, journals, genealogy and more.
Find it
Great Neck Library - Lakeville Branch, 475 Great Neck Road, Great Neck.
No late fees. E-books and audiobooks from home. Loans renew on their own if no one’s waiting. Research databases: courses, journals, genealogy. Good at every Great Neck Library branch.
New in University Gardens? 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 $1.07 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average University Gardens cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $40. Operating budget $8.7M.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $9.3M worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $8.7M 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 37,699 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| University Gardens | Great Neck Library - Lakeville Branch fine-free | — | 54 | — graded as part of its town |
| North Hempstead | Westbury Memorial Public Library | — | 71 | B− |
| New York | Brooklyn Public Library fine-free | — | 64 | C− |
| Great Neck Plaza | Great Neck Library - Station Branch fine-free | — | 59 | C |
| Lake Success | None of its own | — | — | B |
| Russell Gardens | None of its own | — | — | — graded with its twin city |
| Great Neck Estates | None of its own | — | — | C |
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. Great Neck Library - Lakeville Branch is one branch of Great Neck Library, so the yearly numbers cover every branch and all 48,178 people it serves.
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 University Gardens
Does University Gardens have a public library?
Yes: Great Neck Library - Lakeville Branch, 475 Great Neck Road, is a branch of Great Neck Library, which serves 48,178 people. The branch is open about 54 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Great Neck 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 University Gardens’ library?
It logged 5.4 visits and lent 11.7 items per resident in 2024, against a typical 2.6 visits for libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people.
What is University Gardens’ civic life grade?
University Gardens 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 University Gardens.
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.