Photo: Ser Amantio di Nicolao · CC BY-SA 4.0Cumberland’s library is a branch of Central Virginia Regional Library, which lends less per resident than 79% of systems its size
Cumberland’s library is the Cumberland County Public Library, a branch of Central Virginia Regional Library, which serves 48,457 people and lent 106K items last year.
Cumberland’s library, in brief
Below typical on every measure
Against libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people, the Central Virginia Regional Library system sits below the middle on all seven per-resident measures we compare, and in the bottom 30% on five. How it compares ↓
Few residents carry a card
Only 13% of the people the system serves have a library card, against a typical 39% for its size. How it compares ↓
Virginia pays a big share
27% of the budget comes from the state, and 73% from local taxes. Nationally, most library money is local. 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; Cumberland’s library is a branch of Central Virginia Regional Library, so they cover the whole system (48,457 people), not just the Cumberland branch.
What’s behind Cumberland’s civic life grade
Cumberland 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 8 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people across the U.S.
Central Virginia Regional Library serves 48,457 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000.
A year at Central Virginia Regional Library
Fiscal year 2024, for the whole Central Virginia Regional Library system. The library’s own count.
Almost half the print loans are kids’ books
106K loans last year: print, kids’ and digital.
32,006 e-books, e-audiobooks and streams last year. Borrow from home with your card, plus research databases: courses, journals, genealogy and more.
About 6 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
Cumberland County Public Library, 1539 Anderson Highway, Cumberland.
No late fees. E-books and audiobooks from home. Research databases: courses, journals, genealogy. Good at every Central Virginia Regional Library branch.
New in Cumberland? 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 $1.20 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Cumberland cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $40. Operating budget $1.4M.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $1.7M worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $1.4M 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 6,163 cardholders ÷ 12.
What this data can and can’t tell you
From the Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024.
- System-wide. Cumberland County Public Library is one branch of Central Virginia Regional Library, so the yearly numbers cover every branch and all 48,457 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 Cumberland
Does Cumberland have a public library?
Yes: Cumberland County Public Library, 1539 Anderson Highway, is a branch of Central Virginia Regional Library, which serves 48,457 people.
Is Central Virginia Regional 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 Cumberland’s library?
It logged 2.1 visits and lent 2.2 items per resident in 2024, against a typical 2.6 visits for libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people.
What is Cumberland’s civic life grade?
Cumberland 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 Cumberland.
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.