Photo: Skye Marthaler · CC BY-SA 3.0Narrows’ library is a branch of Iris Brammer Library, which logs less per resident than 93% of systems its size
Narrows’s library is the Iris Brammer Public Library, a branch of Iris Brammer Library, which serves 1,949 people.
What Narrows’s library is like
Few programs for a library this size
The Iris Brammer Library system offered 11 programs last year, 5.6 per 1,000 residents against a typical 60. Kids & programs ↓
Few residents carry a card
Only 6% of the people the system serves have a library card, against a typical 54% for its size. How it compares ↓
Virginia pays a big share
21% of the budget comes from the state, and 79% 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; Narrows’s library is a branch of Iris Brammer Library, so they cover the whole system (1,949 people), not just the Narrows branch; in a town this small, one busy program or a few avid readers move the per-resident numbers.
What’s behind Narrows’ civic life grade
On library visits, community nonprofits and volunteering, Narrows is ahead of 24% of U.S. towns. The share of younger adults in volunteering groups holds the grade up; library visits pull it down.
Narrows’ 2024 visits are an estimate from one typical week (the survey’s method for libraries that don’t count every visit).
Most U.S. towns with similar household incomes ($47K–$78K) score higher, so income alone doesn’t account for it.
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 →
4 community nonprofits are registered in Narrows
2.2 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 (2 here), since whether a church registers depends on its denomination, not the town.
9.5%
9.5% of Narrows’ Facebook users aged 25–44 belong to a volunteering or activism group, against 6.9% in the typical Virginia 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 Narrows’ residents live; 2022.
Below most similar-size libraries on all 5 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving under 2,500 people across the U.S.
Iris Brammer Library serves 1,949 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving under 2,500.
A year at Iris Brammer Library
Fiscal year 2024, for the whole Iris Brammer Library system. The library’s own count.
Loans aren’t shown: this year’s report counted only 337 items borrowed against 1,780 visits, so we leave the count out.
11 programs a year
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
Iris Brammer Public Library, 109 Mary Street, Narrows.
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 Narrows cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $54. Operating budget $71K.
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 121 cardholders ÷ 12.
What this data can and can’t tell you
From the Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024.
- Visits are a typical-week estimate. Iris Brammer Library counted one typical week and multiplied by 52, as the survey allows.
- System-wide. Iris Brammer Public Library is one branch of Iris Brammer Library, so the yearly numbers cover every branch and all 1,949 people it serves.
- Loans left out. This year’s loan count is far below the library’s visits and shelves, so we leave it out.
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 Narrows
Does Narrows have a public library?
Yes: Iris Brammer Public Library, 109 Mary Street, is a branch of Iris Brammer Library, which serves 1,949 people. The branch is open about 35 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Iris Brammer Library fine-free?
Yes, no late fees (the library’s 2024 survey report).
How busy is Narrows’ library?
It logged 0.9 visits per resident in 2024, against a typical 3.5 visits for libraries serving under 2,500 people.
What is Narrows’ civic life grade?
C− Narrows is ahead of 24% 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 Narrows.
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.