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Shackelford County CourthousePhoto: Jim Bowen · CC BY-SA 2.0
Shackelford County Library

Albany’s library lends 0.7 print items per resident, against a typical 3.8 for libraries its size

Shackelford County Library serves 3,229 people in and around Albany. Last year it lent 2,872 books, movies and e-books and logged 3,098 visits.

402 N 2nd St., Albany 76430 · about 34 hours a week
B−Civic lifeAhead of 54% of U.S. towns. Nonprofits and volunteering.
Directions (325) 762-2672 What’s a card worth?
Borrowed a year
2,872
0.9 per resident
Visits a year
3,098
1 per resident · Below typical (3)
Programs & events
135
about 3 a week · 1,521 attended
Cardholders
37%
1,182 cards
Open
34 hrs
a week at this branch
In brief

Albany’s library, in brief

Shackelford County Library is used less than most libraries its size

Shackelford County Library records 1 visits per resident, against a typical 3 for libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people. Borrowing is 0.7 print items per resident, against a typical 3.8. It also spends less than most: $10 per resident, against a typical $43. How it compares ↓

Mostly paid for by gifts, not taxes

59% of the system’s income comes from gifts, endowments, fees and other sources, not taxes. Local taxes cover 41%. What your card is worth ↓

Programs lean toward adults

53% of the 135 programs last year were for adults: classes, talks, clubs and events. 15 were for children. Kids & programs ↓

Runs on less money than most

Shackelford County Library spends $10 per resident, less than 95% 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; Shackelford County Library serves 3,229 people in and around Albany, and its numbers cover all of them.

Civic life grade

What’s behind Albany’s civic life grade

On community nonprofits and volunteering, Albany is ahead of 54% of U.S. towns. Albany is graded on two of the three inputs. Albany’s count of community nonprofits holds the grade up; the share of younger adults in volunteering groups pulls it down.

B−
Civic lifeA character grade: shown, never part of Albany’s overall grade.
–Library visitsServed by a county or regional system, so there is no town figureA+Community nonprofits14.6 per 1,000 residents · TX towns 3.3 · U.S. 3.7DVolunteering4.0% of adults 25–44 · TX towns 5.7% · U.S. 7.5%
All U.S. towns we grade (17,556)Ahead of 54%
FewerMore
U.S. towns with similar incomes, $51K–$85K (8,884)Ahead of 51%

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.

How sure. Graded on two inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. Albany is small (1,905 residents), so a few dozen organizations or visits move its per-resident figures; the volunteering share is a 2022 estimate from Facebook users aged 25–44.

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 →

Places to belong

27 community nonprofits are registered in Albany

14.6 per 1,000 residents, against a U.S. town median of 3.7. The largest group: education.

Community nonprofits, by kind

Arts & culture21.08 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.24
Youth, sports & recreation21.08 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.52
Civic groups, clubs & veterans31.62 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.74
Human services10.54 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.59
Education94.87 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.43
Health10.54 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.16
Environment & animals42.16 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.17
Other52.70 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.47

Counted from the IRS list of tax-exempt organizations by mailing address (fractions where a ZIP code spans towns). Congregations are counted apart (5 here), since whether a church registers depends on its denomination, not the town.

Volunteering

4.0%

4.0% of Albany’s Facebook users aged 25–44 belong to a volunteering or activism group, against 5.7% in the typical Texas town and 7.5% nationally.

Volunteering: Social Capital Atlas (Opportunity Insights), from data by Meta Platforms, Inc.; Chetty et al., Nature 2022. ZIP-code figures, weighted by where Albany’s residents live; 2022.

How it compares

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.

Visits per resident 1 visits · typical 3Lower than 89%
Borrowing per resident 0.7 print items · typical 3.8Bottom 10%
Digital borrowing 0.2 e-items · typical 1Lower than 83%
Kids’ borrowing 0.4 kids’ items · typical 1.6Lower than 87%
Program attendance 0.5 attendees · typical 0.5Lower than 52%
Programs offered 41.8 per 1,000 residents · typical 34Higher than 59%
Cardholders 37% of residents · typical 42%Lower than 59%
Spending $10 per resident · typical $43Bottom 10%
Fewer per residentMore per resident
Size group

Shackelford County Library serves 3,229 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000.

A year at the library

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

Fiscal year 2024, for the whole Shackelford County Library system. The library’s own count.

3,098
visits
1 per resident
2,872
loans, print + digital
0.9 per resident
135
programs & events
1,521 attended
1,182
library cards
37% of people served
Every open hour2items borrowed
Every week29people at a program
Every week60visits
1 staff (full-time equivalent)9 public computers
What people borrow

More than half the print loans are kids’ books

2,872 loans last year: print, kids’ and digital.

2,872loans
Books & media (adults) 33%Kids’ books & media 42%E-books, audio & streaming 25%
From your couch

725 e-books, e-audiobooks and streams last year. Borrow from home with your card.

Kids & programs

135 programs a year

Story times, clubs, classes and events, across the whole system, by who they’re for.

Schools in Albany →

Programs last year by age group

Ages 0–511
Ages 6–114
Teens0
Adults72
All ages48
Little ones
0.2

story times and programs a week for ages 0–5, on average.

1,197
kids’ books & media borrowed
1,521
people at programs
135
programs
The building

Find it

Shackelford County Library, 402 N 2nd St., Albany.

Directions(325) 762-2672
34
hours open a week
3,390
square feet
With a card

E-books and audiobooks from home. Good at every Shackelford County Library branch.

New in Albany? 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 $1.69 worth

Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Albany 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
$10 per resident a year

Typical for a library this size: $43. Operating budget $34K.

Local taxes 41%Gifts & other 59%

Last year the library lent and hosted about $57K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $34K budget.

Late fines apply to some overdue items.

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 1,182 cardholders ÷ 12.

How to read these numbers

What this data can and can’t tell you

From the Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024.

  • System-wide. Shackelford County Library serves 3,229 people in and around Albany, so the yearly numbers cover all of them, not just Albany.

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 Albany

Does Albany have a public library?

Yes. Shackelford County Library, 402 N 2nd St., serves 3,229 people in and around Albany (the survey’s count) and is open about 34 hours a week, averaged over the year.

Is Shackelford County Library fine-free? Does it lend e-books?

It charges late fines on some overdue items, and it lends e-books and audiobooks with a card (the library’s 2024 survey report).

How busy is Albany’s library?

It logged 1.0 visits and lent 0.9 items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3 visits for libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people.

What is Albany’s civic life grade?

B− Albany is ahead of 54% of U.S. towns on civic life. The grade combines library visits per resident, community nonprofits per 1,000 residents and the share of adults 25–44 in volunteering groups. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.

Book talk

Reading, story times and the library in Albany.

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.