Abernathy Farm · Photo: rossograph · CC BY-SA 4.0Elkton’s library is a branch of Giles County Public Library, which lends less per resident than 78% of systems its size
Elkton’s library is the Elkton Branch Library, a branch of Giles County Public Library, which serves 26,633 people and lent 77K items last year.
The short version on Elkton’s library
44% of borrowing happens on a screen
E-books, e-audiobooks and streaming make up 44% of loans. Print still makes up 56%, much of it kids’ books. What people borrow ↓
Runs on less money than most
The Giles County Public Library system spends $14 per resident, less than 90% of similar-size libraries (typical: $40). 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; Elkton’s library is a branch of Giles County Public Library, so they cover the whole system (26,633 people), not just the Elkton branch.
What’s behind Elkton’s civic life grade
Elkton 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 →
44% of borrowing is digital
77K loans last year: print, kids’ and digital.
34,045 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 25,000 to 100,000 people across the U.S.
Giles County Public Library serves 26,633 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000.
Every hour the doors are open, about 14 items go out
Fiscal year 2024, for the whole Giles County Public Library system. The library’s own count.
About 3 kids’ programs a week
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
Elkton Branch Library, 110 Main Street, Elkton.
No late fees. E-books and audiobooks from home. Research databases: courses, journals, genealogy. Good at every Giles County Public Library branch.
New in Elkton? 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 $3.25 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Elkton cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $40. Operating budget $373K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $1.2M worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $373K 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 6,256 cardholders ÷ 12.
What this data can and can’t tell you
From the Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024.
- System-wide. Elkton Branch Library is one branch of Giles County Public Library, so the yearly numbers cover every branch and all 26,633 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 Elkton
Does Elkton have a public library?
Yes: Elkton Branch Library, 110 Main Street, is a branch of Giles County Public Library, which serves 26,633 people. The branch is open about 32 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Giles 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 Elkton’s library?
It logged 1.3 visits and lent 2.9 items per resident in 2024, against a typical 2.6 visits for libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people.
What is Elkton’s civic life grade?
Elkton 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 Elkton.
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.