Photo: loganrickert · CC BY 2.0Christiansburg’s library is a branch of St. Paris Public Library, which lends more per resident than 93% of systems its size
Christiansburg’s library is the Christiansburg Community Library, a branch of St. Paris Public Library, which serves 5,617 people and lent 70K items last year.
The short version on Christiansburg’s library
Ohio pays a big share
71% of the budget comes from the state, and 24% from local taxes. Nationally, most library money is local. What your card is worth ↓
More than half the print loans are for kids
Children’s books and media are 60% of print loans, and kids’ borrowing per resident is higher than at 96% of similar-size libraries. Kids & programs ↓
Four times the programs of a typical library its size
The St. Paris Public Library system ran 688 programs last year, about 13 a week. That’s 122 per 1,000 residents, against a typical 34. People show up: 25,000 attended. Kids & programs ↓
Nearly everyone the system serves has a card
5,271 cards for 5,617 people, or 94%. At the typical library serving 2,500 to 10,000 people, it’s 42%. How it compares ↓
A well-funded system
The St. Paris Public Library system spends $105 per resident a year, about twice the typical $43 for a library its size. What your card is worth ↓
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; Christiansburg’s library is a branch of St. Paris Public Library, so they cover the whole system (5,617 people), not just the Christiansburg branch.
What’s behind Christiansburg’s civic life grade
Christiansburg 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 →
688 programs a year
Story times, clubs, classes and events, across the whole system, by who they’re for.
Programs last year by age group
Ahead of most similar-size libraries on all 7 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people across the U.S.
St. Paris Public Library serves 5,617 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000.
Every hour the doors are open, about 18 items go out
Fiscal year 2024, for the whole St. Paris Public Library system. The library’s own count.
Visits aren’t shown: this year’s report counted only 0 visits against 70K loans, so we leave the count out.
More than half the print loans are kids’ books
70K loans last year: print, kids’ and digital.
8,966 e-books, e-audiobooks and streams last year. Borrow from home with your card, plus research databases: courses, journals, genealogy and more.
Find it
Christiansburg Community Library, 203 N Main Street, Christiansburg.
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 St. Paris Public Library branch.
New in Christiansburg? 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 $2.11 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Christiansburg cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $43. Operating budget $591K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $1.2M worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $591K 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 5,271 cardholders ÷ 12.
What this data can and can’t tell you
From the Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024.
- System-wide. Christiansburg Community Library is one branch of St. Paris Public Library, so the yearly numbers cover every branch and all 5,617 people it serves.
- Visits left out. This year’s visit count is far below what the library lends, so we leave it out.
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 Christiansburg
Does Christiansburg have a public library?
Yes: Christiansburg Community Library, 203 N Main Street, is a branch of St. Paris Public Library, which serves 5,617 people. The branch is open about 23 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is St. Paris Public 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 Christiansburg’s library?
It lent 12.5 items per resident in 2024 (print and digital) and ran 688 programs that drew 24,943 people. Visits weren’t reported for 2024.
What is Christiansburg’s civic life grade?
Christiansburg 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 Christiansburg.
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.