Photo: Nyttend · Public domainNew Castle’s library runs 4.7 programs per 1,000 residents, against a typical 34 for libraries its size
Craig County Public Library serves 4,885 people in and around New Castle. Last year it lent 11K print books and media and logged 5,309 visits.
New Castle’s library, in brief
Below typical on every measure
Against libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people, Craig County Public Library sits below the middle on all six per-resident measures we compare, and in the bottom 30% on six. How it compares ↓
Virginia pays a big share
26% of the budget comes from the state, and 52% from local taxes. Nationally, most library money is local. What your card is worth ↓
Runs on less money than most
Craig County Public Library spends $10 per resident, less than 95% 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; Craig County Public Library serves 4,885 people in and around New Castle, and its numbers cover all of them.
What’s behind New Castle’s civic life grade
New Castle 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 2,500 to 10,000 people across the U.S.
Craig County Public Library serves 4,885 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000.
Every hour the doors are open, about 5 items go out
Fiscal year 2024, for the whole Craig County Public Library system. The library’s own count.
Books and media off the shelf
11K print loans last year. The library didn’t report its e-book and e-audiobook loans.
23 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
Craig County Public Library, 303 Main Street, New Castle.
Research databases: courses, journals, genealogy. Good at every Craig County Public Library branch.
New in New Castle? 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 $3.94 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average New Castle cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $43. Operating budget $51K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $200K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $51K 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 1,412 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. Craig County Public Library serves 4,885 people in and around New Castle, so the yearly numbers cover all of them, not just New Castle.
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 New Castle
Does New Castle have a public library?
Yes. Craig County Public Library, 303 Main Street, serves 4,885 people in and around New Castle (the survey’s count) and is open about 47 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Craig County Public Library fine-free?
It charges late fines on some overdue items (the library’s 2024 survey report).
How busy is New Castle’s library?
It logged 1.1 visits and lent 2.3 print items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3 visits for libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people.
What is New Castle’s civic life grade?
New Castle 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 New Castle.
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.