Photo: Smallbones · Public domainBlain’s library lends 1.3 print items per resident, against a typical 3.8 for libraries its size
Community Library of Western Perry County serves 3,136 people in and around Blain. Last year it lent 5,368 books, movies and e-books and drew 42 people to its programs.
Blain’s library, in brief
Mostly paid for by gifts, not taxes
73% of the system’s income comes from gifts, endowments, fees and other sources, not taxes. Local taxes cover 3%. What your card is worth ↓
Below typical on every measure
Against libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people, Community Library of Western Perry County sits below the middle on all six per-resident measures we compare, and in the bottom 30% on six. How it compares ↓
Few programs for a library this size
Community Library of Western Perry County offered 4 programs last year, 1.3 per 1,000 residents against a typical 34. Kids & programs ↓
Runs on less money than most
Community Library of Western Perry County spends $12 per resident, less than 94% of similar-size libraries (typical: $43). 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; Community Library of Western Perry County serves 3,136 people in and around Blain, and its numbers cover all of them.
What’s behind Blain’s civic life grade
Blain 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 →
Below most similar-size libraries on all 7 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people across the U.S.
Community Library of Western Perry County serves 3,136 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000.
Every hour the doors are open, about 4 items go out
Fiscal year 2024, for the whole Community Library of Western Perry County system. The library’s own count.
Visits aren’t shown: this year’s report counted only 850 visits against 5,368 loans, so we leave the count out.
Mostly books and media off the shelf
5,368 loans last year: print, kids’ and digital.
1,274 e-books, e-audiobooks and streams last year. Borrow from home with your card, plus research databases: courses, journals, genealogy and more.
4 programs a year
Story times, clubs, classes and events, across the whole system, by who they’re for.
Programs last year by age group
Find it
Community Library of Western Perry County, 104 E. Main St., Blain.
No late fees. E-books and audiobooks from home. Research databases: courses, journals, genealogy. Good at every Community Library of Western Perry County branch.
New in Blain? 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 $2.19 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Blain cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $43. Operating budget $37K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $80K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $37K 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 748 cardholders ÷ 12.
What this data can and can’t tell you
From the Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024.
- System-wide. Community Library of Western Perry County serves 3,136 people in and around Blain, so the yearly numbers cover all of them, not just Blain.
- 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 Blain
Does Blain have a public library?
Yes. Community Library of Western Perry County, 104 E. Main St., serves 3,136 people in and around Blain (the survey’s count) and is open about 26 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Community Library of Western Perry County 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 Blain’s library?
It lent 1.7 items per resident in 2024 (print and digital) and ran 4 programs that drew 42 people. Visits weren’t reported for 2024.
What is Blain’s civic life grade?
Blain 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 Blain.
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.