Imperial’s library lends 0.3 print items per resident, against a typical 3.9 for libraries its size
Imperial Public Library serves 1,482 people in and around Imperial. Last year it lent 454 print books and media and logged 2,500 visits.
The short version on Imperial’s library
Imperial Public Library is used less than most libraries its size
Imperial Public Library records 1.7 visits per resident, against a typical 3.5 for libraries serving under 2,500 people. Borrowing is 0.3 print items per resident, against a typical 3.9. How it compares ↓
Few residents carry a card
Only 15% of the people the system serves have a library card, against a typical 54% for its size. 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; Imperial Public Library serves 1,482 people in and around Imperial, and its numbers cover all of them; in a town this small, one busy program or a few avid readers move the per-resident numbers.
What’s behind Imperial’s civic life grade
Imperial 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 7 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving under 2,500 people across the U.S.
Imperial Public Library serves 1,482 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving under 2,500.
A year at Imperial Public Library
Fiscal year 2024, for the whole Imperial Public Library system. The library’s own count.
Books and media off the shelf
454 print loans last year. The library didn’t report its e-book and e-audiobook loans.
Borrow from home with your card, plus research databases: courses, journals, genealogy and more.
57 programs a year
Story times, clubs, classes and events, across the whole system, by who they’re for.
Programs last year by age group
Find it
Imperial Public Library, 223 W Fm 11, Imperial.
No late fees. E-books and audiobooks from home. Loans renew on their own if no one’s waiting. Research databases: courses, journals, genealogy. Good at every Imperial Public Library branch.
New in Imperial? The Handbook →Hours are the survey’s yearly average. Check the library’s own site for today’s hours.
What a library card is worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Imperial cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $54. Operating budget $73K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $13K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $73K 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 219 cardholders ÷ 12.
What this data can and can’t tell you
From the Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024.
- Digital loans not reported. The library didn’t report e-book loans, so borrowing here is print only.
- System-wide. Imperial Public Library serves 1,482 people in and around Imperial, so the yearly numbers cover all of them, not just Imperial.
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 Imperial
Does Imperial have a public library?
Yes. Imperial Public Library, 223 W Fm 11, serves 1,482 people in and around Imperial (the survey’s count) and is open about 37 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Imperial 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 Imperial’s library?
It logged 1.7 visits and lent 0.3 print items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3.5 visits for libraries serving under 2,500 people.
What is Imperial’s civic life grade?
Imperial 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 Imperial.
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.