Elysburg’s library logs 0.9 visits per resident, against a typical 3 for libraries its size
Ralpho Township Public Library serves 4,186 people in and around Elysburg. Last year it lent 8,791 books, movies and e-books and logged 3,900 visits.
Elysburg’s library, in brief
Mostly paid for by gifts, not taxes
89% of the library’s income comes from gifts, endowments, fees and other sources, not taxes. Local taxes cover 7%. What your card is worth ↓
Ralpho Township Public Library is used less than most libraries its size
Ralpho Township Public Library records 0.9 visits per resident, against a typical 3 for libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people. Borrowing is 1.3 print items per resident, against a typical 3.8. It also spends less than most: $17 per resident, against a typical $43. How it compares ↓
Few residents carry a card
Only 17% of the people Ralpho Township Public Library serves have a library card, against a typical 42% for its size. How it compares ↓
Ralpho Township Public Library serves more than Elysburg
The library’s service area covers 4,186 people in and around Elysburg, so its per-resident numbers are measured against that wider population. How it compares ↓
Programs lean toward adults
64% of the 100 programs last year were for adults: classes, talks, clubs and events. 34 were for children. 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.
What’s behind Elysburg’s civic life grade
Elysburg 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 8 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people across the U.S.
Ralpho Township Public Library serves 4,186 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000.
Every hour the doors are open, about 6 items go out
Fiscal year 2024. The library’s own count.
Mostly books and media off the shelf
8,791 loans last year: print, kids’ and digital.
Each of the 17K books and other items on the shelves went out about 0.3 time last year, on average.
3,218 e-books, e-audiobooks and streams last year. Borrow from home with your card, plus research databases: courses, journals, genealogy and more.
100 programs a year
Story times, clubs, classes and events, 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
Ralpho Township Public Library, 206 S. Market St. Suite 6, Elysburg.
No late fees. E-books and audiobooks from home. Research databases: courses, journals, genealogy.
New in Elysburg? 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 Elysburg cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $43. Operating budget $69K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $146K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $69K 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 715 cardholders ÷ 12.
What this data can and can’t tell you
From the Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024.
- The library’s own count. Libraries report their own visits, loans and programs. A library that didn’t respond keeps its address and hours here, with no numbers.
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 Elysburg
Does Elysburg have a public library?
Yes. Ralpho Township Public Library, 206 S. Market St. Suite 6, serves 4,186 people in and around Elysburg (the survey’s count) and is open about 30 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Ralpho Township 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 Elysburg’s library?
It logged 0.9 visits and lent 2.1 items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3 visits for libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people.
What is Elysburg’s civic life grade?
Elysburg 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 Elysburg.
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.