Photo: JERRYE AND ROY KLOTZ MD · CC BY-SA 3.0Midland’s library is a branch of Haakon County Public Library, which lends less per resident than 86% of systems its size
Midland’s library is the Midland Community Library, a branch of Haakon County Public Library, which serves 1,851 people and lent 3,839 items last year.
The short version on Midland’s library
Open only about 6 hours a week
The Midland branch keeps short hours: about 6 a week, averaged over the year, so check its schedule before you go. The building ↓
The Haakon County Public Library system is used less than most libraries its size
The Haakon County Public Library system records 1.6 visits per resident, against a typical 3.5 for libraries serving under 2,500 people. Borrowing is 1.3 print items per resident, against a typical 3.9. It also spends less than most: $32 per resident, against a typical $54. 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; Midland’s library is a branch of Haakon County Public Library, so they cover the whole system (1,851 people), not just the Midland branch; in a town this small, one busy program or a few avid readers move the per-resident numbers.
What’s behind Midland’s civic life grade
Midland 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 under 2,500 people across the U.S.
Haakon County Public Library serves 1,851 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving under 2,500.
Every hour the doors are open, about 2 items go out
Fiscal year 2024, for the whole Haakon County Public Library system. The library’s own count.
More than half the print loans are kids’ books
3,839 loans last year: print, kids’ and digital.
1,444 e-books, e-audiobooks and streams last year. Borrow from home with your card, plus research databases: courses, journals, genealogy and more.
25 programs a year
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
Midland Community Library, 401 Russell St., Midland.
No late fees. E-books and audiobooks from home. Research databases: courses, journals, genealogy. Good at every Haakon County Public Library branch.
New in Midland? 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 $1.10 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Midland cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $54. Operating budget $59K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $65K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $59K 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 841 cardholders ÷ 12.
What this data can and can’t tell you
From the Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024.
- System-wide. Midland Community Library is one branch of Haakon County Public Library, so the yearly numbers cover every branch and all 1,851 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 Midland
Does Midland have a public library?
Yes: Midland Community Library, 401 Russell St., is a branch of Haakon County Public Library, which serves 1,851 people. The branch is open about 6 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Haakon County 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 Midland’s library?
It logged 1.6 visits and lent 2.1 items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3.5 visits for libraries serving under 2,500 people.
What is Midland’s civic life grade?
Midland 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 Midland.
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.