Photo: Taber Andrew Bain · CC BY 2.0Lawrenceville’s library is a branch of Meherrin Regional Library, which lends less per resident than 88% of systems its size
Lawrenceville’s library is the Brunswick County Library, a branch of Meherrin Regional Library, which serves 32,521 people and lent 40K items last year.
The short version on Lawrenceville’s library
Below typical on every measure
Against libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people, the Meherrin Regional Library system sits below the middle on all six per-resident measures we compare, and in the bottom 30% on five. How it compares ↓
Virginia pays a big share
33% of the budget comes from the state, and 67% from local taxes. Nationally, most library money is local. What your card is worth ↓
Most programs are for young children
77% of the 221 programs last year were for ages 11 and under, including about 1.3 a week for ages 0–5. Kids & programs ↓
People visit, but borrow less than most
The Meherrin Regional Library system lends 1.1 print items per resident, against a typical 3.7 for libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people, fewer than 88% of similar-size libraries, though visits are closer to typical. What people borrow ↓
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; Lawrenceville’s library is a branch of Meherrin Regional Library, so they cover the whole system (32,521 people), not just the Lawrenceville branch.
What’s behind Lawrenceville’s civic life grade
Lawrenceville 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.
Meherrin Regional Library serves 32,521 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000.
Every hour the doors are open, about 6 items go out
Fiscal year 2024, for the whole Meherrin Regional Library system. The library’s own count.
Mostly books and media off the shelf
40K loans last year: print, kids’ and digital.
5,549 e-books, e-audiobooks and streams last year. Borrow from home with your card, plus research databases: courses, journals, genealogy and more.
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
Brunswick County Library, 133 West Hicks Street, Lawrenceville.
E-books and audiobooks from home. Research databases: courses, journals, genealogy. Good at every Meherrin Regional Library branch.
New in Lawrenceville? 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 Lawrenceville cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $40. Operating budget $864K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $685K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $864K 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 1,396 cardholders ÷ 12.
What this data can and can’t tell you
From the Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024.
- System-wide. Brunswick County Library is one branch of Meherrin Regional Library, so the yearly numbers cover every branch and all 32,521 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 Lawrenceville
Does Lawrenceville have a public library?
Yes: Brunswick County Library, 133 West Hicks Street, is a branch of Meherrin Regional Library, which serves 32,521 people. The branch is open about 45 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Meherrin Regional 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 Lawrenceville’s library?
It logged 2.0 visits and lent 1.2 items per resident in 2024, against a typical 2.6 visits for libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people.
What is Lawrenceville’s civic life grade?
Lawrenceville 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 Lawrenceville.
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.