Photo: Brian Stansberry · CC BY 4.0Ducktown’s library lends 1 print items per resident, against a typical 3.8 for libraries its size
East Polk Public Library serves 6,933 people in and around Ducktown. Last year it lent 14K books, movies and e-books and logged 12K visits.
What Ducktown’s library is like
Most of Ducktown’s borrowing is digital
E-books, e-audiobooks and streaming make up 51% of loans. Print still makes up 49%. What people borrow ↓
Most programs are for young children
74% of the 72 programs last year were for ages 11 and under, including 46 for ages 0–5. Kids & programs ↓
East Polk Public Library serves more than Ducktown
The library’s service area covers 6,933 people in and around Ducktown, so its per-resident numbers are measured against that wider population. How it compares ↓
People visit, but borrow less than most
East Polk Public Library lends 1 print items per resident, against a typical 3.8 for libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people, fewer than 90% of similar-size libraries, though visits are closer to typical. What people borrow ↓
Runs on less money than most
East Polk Public Library spends $10 per resident, less than 96% 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.
What’s behind Ducktown’s civic life grade
Ducktown 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 →
51% of borrowing is digital
14K loans last year: print, kids’ and digital.
Each of the 7,574 books and other items on the shelves went out about 0.9 time last year, on average.
7,314 e-books, e-audiobooks and streams last year. Borrow from home with your card, plus research databases: courses, journals, genealogy and more.
Ahead of most similar-size libraries on 1 of 8 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people across the U.S.
East Polk Public Library serves 6,933 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.
About 1 kids’ program 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
East Polk Public Library, 136 Main Street, Suite A, Ducktown.
No late fees. E-books and audiobooks from home. Research databases: courses, journals, genealogy.
New in Ducktown? 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 $3.77 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Ducktown cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $43. Operating budget $68K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $256K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $68K 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 2,196 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 Ducktown
Does Ducktown have a public library?
Yes. East Polk Public Library, 136 Main Street, Suite A, serves 6,933 people in and around Ducktown (the survey’s count) and is open about 45 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is East Polk 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 Ducktown’s library?
It logged 1.8 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 Ducktown’s civic life grade?
Ducktown 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 Ducktown.
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.