Photo: Texasfebruary2008_004.jpg: Bernardino Trevilla Langer CzechStopFFF2010_4kpx.jpg: Lm13700 Aerial_view_of_town_of_West,_TX_looking_northeast.jpg: HuecoBear derivative work: Jayb · CC BY-SA 3.0West’s library lends 1.8 print items per resident, against a typical 3.8 for libraries its size
West Public Library serves West’s 4,002 residents. Last year it lent 7,104 print books and media and logged 12K visits.
What West’s library is like
Mostly paid for by gifts, not taxes
59% of the library’s income comes from gifts, endowments, fees and other sources, not taxes. Local taxes cover 40%. What your card is worth ↓
Nearly everyone in West has a card
3,855 cards for 4,002 people, or 96%. At the typical library serving 2,500 to 10,000 people, it’s 42%. How it compares ↓
Open only about 20 hours a week
West Public Library keeps short hours: about 20 a week, averaged over the year, so check its schedule before you go. The building ↓
Programs lean toward adults
77% of the 77 programs last year were for adults: classes, talks, clubs and events. 10 were for children. Kids & programs ↓
Runs on less money than most
West Public Library spends $8 per resident, less than 97% 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 West’s civic life grade
On community nonprofits and volunteering, West is ahead of 69% of U.S. towns, #70 of 539 in Texas. West is graded on two of the three inputs. Both inputs are above most U.S. towns; the share of younger adults in volunteering groups ranks highest.
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 →
10 community nonprofits are registered in West
3.9 per 1,000 residents, against a U.S. town median of 3.7. The largest group: civic groups, clubs & veterans.
Community nonprofits, by kind
Counted from the IRS list of tax-exempt organizations by mailing address (fractions where a ZIP code spans towns). Congregations are counted apart (4 here), since whether a church registers depends on its denomination, not the town.
9.4%
9.4% of West’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 West’s residents live; 2022.
Ahead of most similar-size libraries on 2 of 7 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people across the U.S.
West Public Library serves 4,002 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000.
Every hour the doors are open, about 7 items go out
Fiscal year 2024. The library’s own count.
Books and media off the shelf
7,104 print loans last year. The library didn’t report its e-book and e-audiobook loans.
Each of the 29K books and other items on the shelves went out about 0.2 time last year, on average.
Borrow from home with your card, plus research databases: courses, journals, genealogy and more.
77 programs a year
Story times, clubs, classes and events, by who they’re for.
Programs last year by age group
children’s books and media borrowed per child under 18 in West last year.
Find it
West Public Library, 209 Tokio Rd, West.
No late fees. E-books and audiobooks from home. Loans renew on their own if no one’s waiting. Research databases: courses, journals, genealogy.
New in West? 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 $3.76 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average West cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $43. Operating budget $34K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $127K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $34K 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 3,855 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.
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 West
Does West have a public library?
Yes. West Public Library, 209 Tokio Rd, serves West’s 4,002 residents (the survey’s count) and is open about 20 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is West 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 West’s library?
It logged 3.0 visits and lent 1.8 print items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3 visits for libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people.
What is West’s civic life grade?
B+ West is ahead of 69% of U.S. towns on civic life, #70 of 539 in Texas. 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 West.
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.