Photo: Nyttend · Public domainBeaver’s library is a branch of Garnet A. Wilson Pl of Pike Co, which lends less per resident than 65% of systems its size
Beaver’s library is the Eastern Branch, a branch of Garnet A. Wilson Pl of Pike Co, which serves 27,088 people and lent 91K items last year.
What Beaver’s library is like
Ohio pays a big share
59% of the budget comes from the state, and 23% from local taxes. Nationally, most library money is local. What your card is worth ↓
Fewer visits than most libraries its size
The Garnet A. Wilson Pl of Pike Co system records 0.8 visits per resident, against a typical 2.6 for libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people, below 93% of similar-size libraries. Borrowing holds up better, at 2.6 print items per resident. How it compares ↓
Most programs are for young children
70% of the 389 programs last year were for ages 11 and under, including about 2.6 a week for ages 0–5. 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; Beaver’s library is a branch of Garnet A. Wilson Pl of Pike Co, so they cover the whole system (27,088 people), not just the Beaver branch.
What’s behind Beaver’s civic life grade
Beaver 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 8 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people across the U.S.
Garnet A. Wilson Pl of Pike Co serves 27,088 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000.
Every hour the doors are open, about 8 items go out
Fiscal year 2024, for the whole Garnet A. Wilson Pl of Pike Co system. The library’s own count.
Mostly books and media off the shelf
91K loans last year: print, kids’ and digital.
19,949 e-books, e-audiobooks and streams last year. Borrow from home with your card, plus research databases: courses, journals, genealogy and more.
About 5 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.
Find it
Eastern Branch, 310 Third St., Beaver.
No late fees. E-books and audiobooks from home. Research databases: courses, journals, genealogy. Good at every Garnet A. Wilson Pl of Pike Co branch.
New in Beaver? 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 Beaver cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $40. Operating budget $1.5M.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $1.5M worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $1.5M 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 11,215 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beaver | Eastern Branch fine-free | — | 49 | — under 1,000 residents |
| Marion Township | Eastern Branch fine-free | — | 49 | C+ |
| Beaver Township | 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. Eastern Branch is one branch of Garnet A. Wilson Pl of Pike Co, so the yearly numbers cover every branch and all 27,088 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 Beaver
Does Beaver have a public library?
Yes: Eastern Branch, 310 Third St., is a branch of Garnet A. Wilson Pl of Pike Co, which serves 27,088 people. The branch is open about 49 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Garnet A. Wilson Pl of Pike Co 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 Beaver’s library?
It logged 0.8 visits and lent 3.3 items per resident in 2024, against a typical 2.6 visits for libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people.
What is Beaver’s civic life grade?
Beaver 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 Beaver.
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.