Valley Head’s library logs 0.4 visits per resident, against a typical 3 for libraries its size
Valley Head Public Library serves 4,189 people in and around Valley Head. Last year it lent 1,054 books, movies and e-books and logged 1,730 visits.
The short version on Valley Head’s library
Valley Head Public Library is used less than most libraries its size
Valley Head Public Library records 0.4 visits per resident, against a typical 3 for libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people. Borrowing is 0.2 print items per resident, against a typical 3.8. It also spends less than most: $12 per resident, against a typical $43. How it compares ↓
West Virginia pays a big share
50% of the budget comes from the state, and 31% from local taxes. Nationally, most library money is local. What your card is worth ↓
Few programs for a library this size
Valley Head Public Library offered 8 programs last year, 1.9 per 1,000 residents against a typical 34. Kids & programs ↓
Few residents carry a card
Only 10% of the people the system serves have a library card, against a typical 42% for its size. How it compares ↓
Runs on less money than most
Valley Head Public Library spends $12 per resident, less than 94% 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; Valley Head Public Library serves 4,189 people in and around Valley Head, and its numbers cover all of them.
What’s behind Valley Head’s civic life grade
Valley Head 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.
Valley Head Public Library serves 4,189 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000.
A year at Valley Head Public Library
Fiscal year 2024, for the whole Valley Head Public Library system. The library’s own count.
Mostly books and media off the shelf
1,054 loans last year: print, kids’ and digital.
The survey has no count of children’s loans for Valley Head’s library in 2024, so there’s no split between adults’ and kids’ borrowing.
238 e-books, e-audiobooks and streams last year. Borrow from home with your card, plus research databases: courses, journals, genealogy and more.
8 programs a year
Story times, clubs, classes and events, across the whole system, by who they’re for.
Programs last year by age group
Find it
Valley Head Public Library, 25369 Seneca Trail, Valley Head.
No late fees. E-books and audiobooks from home. Research databases: courses, journals, genealogy. Good at every Valley Head Public Library branch.
New in Valley Head? 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 Valley Head cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $43. Operating budget $50K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $20K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $50K 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 403 cardholders ÷ 12.
What this data can and can’t tell you
From the Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024.
- System-wide. Valley Head Public Library serves 4,189 people in and around Valley Head, so the yearly numbers cover all of them, not just Valley Head.
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 Valley Head
Does Valley Head have a public library?
Yes. Valley Head Public Library, 25369 Seneca Trail, serves 4,189 people in and around Valley Head (the survey’s count) and is open about 32 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Valley Head Public 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 Valley Head’s library?
It logged 0.4 visits and lent 0.3 items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3 visits for libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people.
What is Valley Head’s civic life grade?
Valley Head 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 Valley Head.
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.