Photo: James Shelton32 · CC BY-SA 3.0St. Paul’s library is a branch of Lonesome Pine Regional Library, which lends less per resident than 71% of systems its size
St. Paul’s library is the J. Fred Matthews Memorial Library, a branch of Lonesome Pine Regional Library, which serves 97,067 people and lent 228K items last year.
St. Paul’s library, in brief
Most programs are for young children
76% of the 2,164 programs last year were for ages 11 and under, including about 26 a week for ages 0–5. Kids & programs ↓
Virginia pays a big share
25% of the budget comes from the state, and 72% from local taxes. Nationally, most library money is local. What your card is worth ↓
Almost all the borrowing is off the shelf
Only 8% of loans are e-books, audiobooks or streaming, fewer per resident than at 92% of similar-size libraries. 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; St. Paul’s library is a branch of Lonesome Pine Regional Library, so they cover the whole system (97,067 people), not just the St. Paul branch.
What’s behind St. Paul’s civic life grade
St. Paul 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 →
Ahead of most similar-size libraries on 2 of 8 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people across the U.S.
Lonesome Pine Regional Library serves 97,067 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000.
Every hour the doors are open, about 12 items go out
Fiscal year 2024, for the whole Lonesome Pine Regional Library system. The library’s own count.
Mostly books and media off the shelf
228K loans last year: print, kids’ and digital.
17,349 e-books, e-audiobooks and streams last year. Borrow from home with your card, plus research databases: courses, journals, genealogy and more.
About 32 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
J. Fred Matthews Memorial Library, 16552 Wise Street, St. Paul.
E-books and audiobooks from home. Research databases: courses, journals, genealogy. Good at every Lonesome Pine Regional Library branch.
New in St. Paul? 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 $1.64 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average St. Paul cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $40. Operating budget $2.5M.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $4.1M worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $2.5M 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 5,589 cardholders ÷ 12.
Libraries next door
Who has a library of their own, and how much each town borrows. Tap a town to see its library.
| Town | Library | Loans per resident | Hours | Civic life |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Paul | J. Fred Matthews Memorial Library | — | 34 | — under 1,000 residents |
| Castlewood | None of its own | — | — | — unincorporated |
Loans = print + digital items borrowed in the library’s fiscal year, per person it serves. — = no library of its own, a county or regional system (its numbers cover many towns), or no report. Civic life: — = not graded (unincorporated places, whose nonprofits can’t be placed by mailing address, or towns with fewer than two of the three inputs).
What this data can and can’t tell you
From the Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024.
- System-wide. J. Fred Matthews Memorial Library is one branch of Lonesome Pine Regional Library, so the yearly numbers cover every branch and all 97,067 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 St. Paul
Does St. Paul have a public library?
Yes: J. Fred Matthews Memorial Library, 16552 Wise Street, is a branch of Lonesome Pine Regional Library, which serves 97,067 people. The branch is open about 34 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Lonesome Pine 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 St. Paul’s library?
It logged 1.7 visits and lent 2.3 items per resident in 2024, against a typical 2.6 visits for libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people.
What is St. Paul’s civic life grade?
St. Paul 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 St. Paul.
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.