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Kathryn Schulkoski Public Library

Eureka’s library runs 1.3 programs per 1,000 residents, against a typical 60 for libraries its size

Kathryn Schulkoski Public Library serves Eureka’s 773 residents. Last year it lent 2,583 books, movies and e-books and logged 1,209 visits.

705 8th Street, Eureka 57437 · about 32 hours a week
–Civic lifeNot graded: fewer than 1,000 residents
Borrowed a year
2,583
3.3 per resident
Visits a year
1,209
1.6 per resident · Below typical (3.5)
Programs & events
1
about 1 a week · 13 attended
Cardholders
67%
521 cards
Open
32 hrs
a week
In brief

What Eureka’s library is like

Few programs for a library this size

Kathryn Schulkoski Public Library offered 1 programs last year, 1.3 per 1,000 residents against a typical 60. Kids & programs ↓

A small-town library

Kathryn Schulkoski Public Library serves 773 residents with about one full-time staff, open about 32 hours a week. It’s compared only with libraries serving under 2,500 people, because per-person numbers always look big in a small town. A year at the library ↓

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; in a town this small, one busy program or a few avid readers move the per-resident numbers.

Civic life grade

What’s behind Eureka’s civic life grade

Eureka isn’t graded on civic life: TownRatings grades towns of 1,000 residents or more.

–
Civic lifeA character grade: shown, never part of Eureka’s overall grade.

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 →

How it compares

Ahead of most similar-size libraries on 2 of 8 measures

Per resident, against libraries serving under 2,500 people across the U.S.

Visits per resident 1.6 visits · typical 3.5Lower than 83%
Borrowing per resident 2.4 print items · typical 3.9Lower than 70%
Digital borrowing 1 e-items · typical 1Higher than 50%
Kids’ borrowing 0.4 kids’ items · typical 1.4Lower than 81%
Program attendance 0 attendees · typical 0.7Bottom 10%
Programs offered 1.3 per 1,000 residents · typical 60Bottom 10%
Cardholders 67% of residents · typical 54%Higher than 61%
Spending $47 per resident · typical $54Lower than 59%
Fewer per residentMore per resident
Size group

Kathryn Schulkoski Public Library serves 773 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving under 2,500.

A year at the library

Every hour the doors are open, about 2 items go out

Fiscal year 2024. The library’s own count.

1,209
visits
1.6 per resident
2,583
loans, print + digital
3.3 per resident
1
programs & events
13 attended
521
library cards
67% of people served
Every open hour2items borrowed
Every week0people at a program
Every week23visits
1 staff (full-time equivalent)15K books & media on the shelves
What people borrow

Mostly books and media off the shelf

2,583 loans last year: print, kids’ and digital.

2,583loans
Books & media (adults) 57%Kids’ books & media 13%E-books, audio & streaming 30%
How hard the shelves work
0.1×

Each of the 15K books and other items on the shelves went out about 0.1 time last year, on average.

From your couch

762 e-books, e-audiobooks and streams last year. Borrow from home with your card, plus research databases: courses, journals, genealogy and more.

Kids & programs

1 programs a year

Story times, clubs, classes and events, by who they’re for.

Schools in Eureka →

Programs last year by age group

Ages 0–50
Ages 6–110
Teens0
Adults0
All ages1
Kids’ books
3

children’s books and media borrowed per child under 18 in Eureka last year.

13
people at programs
1
programs
The building

Find it

Kathryn Schulkoski Public Library, 705 8th Street, Eureka.

32
hours open a week
1,220
square feet
15K
books & media
With a card

No late fees. E-books and audiobooks from home. Research databases: courses, journals, genealogy.

New in Eureka? The Handbook →

Hours are the survey’s yearly average. Check the library’s own site for today’s hours.

What your card is worth

For every $1 it spends, the library lends about $1.12 worth

Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Eureka cardholder borrows.

In a month I’d use…
Books$17 each
1
Kids’ books$12 each
0
E-books & audio$15 each
0
Movies & music$4 each
0
Programs & classes$10 a program
0
Computer & Wi-Fi$3 a session
0
Your card saves you about
$204
a year at retail prices · $17 a month

Who pays for it
$47 per resident a year

Typical for a library this size: $54. Operating budget $36K.

Local taxes 96%Gifts & other 4%

Last year the library lent and hosted about $41K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $36K 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 521 cardholders ÷ 12.

How to read these numbers

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 Eureka

Does Eureka have a public library?

Yes. Kathryn Schulkoski Public Library, 705 8th Street, serves Eureka’s 773 residents (the survey’s count) and is open about 32 hours a week, averaged over the year.

Is Kathryn Schulkoski 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 Eureka’s library?

It logged 1.6 visits and lent 3.3 items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3.5 visits for libraries serving under 2,500 people.

What is Eureka’s civic life grade?

Eureka 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 Eureka.

Town Square →
Start a conversation

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.