Photo: Pittsburgh7 at en.wikipedia · Public domainMount Lebanon’s library logs 8.8 visits per resident, against a typical 2.6 for libraries its size
Mt. Lebanon Public Library serves 34,075 people in and around Mount Lebanon. Last year it lent 764K books, movies and e-books and logged 300K visits.
Mount Lebanon’s library, in brief
Mount Lebanon uses its library more than almost any town its size
Mt. Lebanon Public Library logs 8.8 visits per resident, against a typical 2.6 for libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people, and lends 17 print items per resident against a typical 3.7. On both counts it beats 98% of similar-size libraries across the U.S. How it compares ↓
Three times the programs of a typical library its size
Mt. Lebanon Public Library ran 1,499 programs last year, about 29 a week. That’s 44 per 1,000 residents, against a typical 14. People show up: 35,000 attended. Kids & programs ↓
Kids borrow more here than almost anywhere
Children’s books and media are 53% of print loans, and kids’ borrowing per resident is higher than at 98% of similar-size libraries. Kids & programs ↓
Mount Lebanon out-borrows every town next door
At 22 loans per resident, Mount Lebanon leads the seven towns here. The closest is Upper St. Clair Township, at 17. Libraries next door ↓
Big on e-books and audiobooks
Digital borrowing runs 4.9 e-items per resident, against a typical 1.2, higher than at 96% of similar-size libraries. It’s 22% of all loans. What people borrow ↓
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 Mount Lebanon’s civic life grade
Mount Lebanon isn’t graded on civic life: its library’s visits weren’t reported for 2024 and the volunteering estimate doesn’t cover enough of it.
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 221 items go out
Fiscal year 2024. The library’s own count.
Ahead of most similar-size libraries on all 8 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people across the U.S.
Mt. Lebanon Public Library serves 34,075 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000.
More than half the print loans are kids’ books
764K loans last year: print, kids’ and digital.
Each of the 138K books and other items on the shelves went out about 4.3 times last year, on average.
167,440 e-books, e-audiobooks and streams last year. Borrow from home with your card, plus research databases: courses, journals, genealogy and more.
About 8 kids’ programs a week
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
Mt Lebanon Public Library, 16 Castle Shannon Blvd, Pittsburgh.
No late fees. E-books and audiobooks from home. Loans renew on their own if no one’s waiting. Research databases: courses, journals, genealogy.
New in Mount Lebanon? 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 $4.46 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Mount Lebanon cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $40. Operating budget $2.7M.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $12M worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $2.7M 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 19,177 cardholders ÷ 12.
Libraries next door
Mount Lebanon borrows the most per resident of the 7 towns here. Tap a town to see its library.
| Town | Library | Loans per resident | Hours | Civic life |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mount Lebanon | Mt Lebanon Public Library fine-free | 22.4 | 66 | — too few inputs |
| Upper St. Clair Township | Upper St. Clair Township Library | 17.1 | 52 | B |
| Bethel Park | Bethel Park Public Library fine-free | 9.9 | 57 | C |
| Pittsburgh | Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh fine-free | 9.6 | 62 | A− |
| Dormont | Dormont Public Library fine-free | 8.0 | 44 | C+ |
| Castle Shannon | Community Library of Castle Shannon fine-free | 7.6 | 44 | A− |
| Scott Township | Scott Township Public Library fine-free | 4.7 | 47 | C |
| Baldwin 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.
- 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 Mount Lebanon
Does Mount Lebanon have a public library?
Yes. Mt. Lebanon Public Library, 16 Castle Shannon Blvd, serves 34,075 people in and around Mount Lebanon (the survey’s count) and is open about 66 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Mt. Lebanon 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 Mount Lebanon’s library?
It logged 8.8 visits and lent 22.4 items per resident in 2024, against a typical 2.6 visits for libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people.
What is Mount Lebanon’s civic life grade?
Mount Lebanon isn’t graded on civic life: its library’s visits weren’t reported for 2024 and the volunteering estimate doesn’t cover enough of it. How it works.
Book talk
Reading, story times and the library in Mount Lebanon.
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.