Photo: Nyttend · Public domainWest Manchester’s library is a branch of Preble County District Library, which lends more per resident than 61% of systems its size
West Manchester’s library is the West Manchester Branch, a branch of Preble County District Library, which serves 38,015 people and lent 223K items last year.
The short version on West Manchester’s library
Ohio pays a big share
58% of the budget comes from the state, and 40% from local taxes. Nationally, most library money is local. What your card is worth ↓
Open only about 15 hours a week
The West Manchester branch keeps short hours: about 15 a week, averaged over the year, so check its schedule before you go. The building ↓
Visits are the system’s strong suit
The Preble County District Library system logs 5.2 visits per resident, against a typical 2.6 for libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people, more than 89% of similar-size libraries. Borrowing is above typical too, at 4.8 print items per resident. 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; West Manchester’s library is a branch of Preble County District Library, so they cover the whole system (38,015 people), not just the West Manchester branch.
What’s behind West Manchester’s civic life grade
West Manchester 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 →
Every hour the doors are open, about 16 items go out
Fiscal year 2024, for the whole Preble County District Library system. The library’s own count.
Ahead of most similar-size libraries on 5 of 8 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people across the U.S.
Preble County District Library serves 38,015 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000.
Almost half the print loans are kids’ books
223K loans last year: print, kids’ and digital.
40,952 e-books, e-audiobooks and streams last year. Borrow from home with your card, plus research databases: courses, journals, genealogy and more.
About 11 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
West Manchester Branch, 212 S High St., West Manchester.
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 Preble County District Library branch.
New in West Manchester? 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 $1.87 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average West Manchester cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $40. Operating budget $1.9M.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $3.5M worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $1.9M 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 14,112 cardholders ÷ 12.
What this data can and can’t tell you
From the Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024.
- System-wide. West Manchester Branch is one branch of Preble County District Library, so the yearly numbers cover every branch and all 38,015 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 West Manchester
Does West Manchester have a public library?
Yes: West Manchester Branch, 212 S High St., is a branch of Preble County District Library, which serves 38,015 people. The branch is open about 15 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Preble County District 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 West Manchester’s library?
It logged 5.2 visits and lent 5.9 items per resident in 2024, against a typical 2.6 visits for libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people.
What is West Manchester’s civic life grade?
West Manchester 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 West Manchester.
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.