Library · Lake Wales
Lake Wales Public Library
Lake Wales’s library is the Lake Wales Public Library, a branch of Polk County Library Cooperative, open about 50 hours a week.
IMLS Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024County system. Lake Wales’s branch belongs to Polk County Library Cooperative, which serves 822,769 people. The yearly numbers below are for the whole system, not just this branch. A card works at every branch.
Your branch
Lake Wales Public Library
290 Cypress Garden Lane, Lake Wales 33853
50 hrsopen a week
19,700sq ft
Charges late finesLate fees on some overdue items
Fiscal year 2024
A year at Polk County Library Cooperative
1.6M
visits
1.9 per resident
1.8M
loans, print + digital
2.2 per resident
5,026
programs & events
99K attended
917K
library cards
100% of people served
How it compares
Against libraries serving 100,000+ people
Per-resident numbers, compared only with libraries of a similar size across the country, because a tiny town’s library always looks busier per person.
Visits per resident
1.9 visits · typical 2.1
A little below typical (43th percentile)
Borrowing per resident
2.2 print items · typical 3.2
A little below typical (31th percentile)
Program attendance
0.1 attendees · typical 0.2
Lower than most similar-size libraries (17th percentile)
Cardholders
100% of residents
Top 10% of similar-size libraries
Borrowing & programs
What people use it for
What people borrow
1.8M loans last year
Books & media (adults)100%Kids’ books & media0%E-books, audio & streaming0%
Who the programs are for
5,026 story times, classes, clubs and events
Money
Who pays for it
$18 per resident a year
Typical for a library this size: $36. Operating budget $15M.
Local 98%State 1%Gifts & other 1%
About these numbers
How to read this page
Hours are an averageThe survey reports a building’s public hours for the whole year. We divide by the weeks it was open, so check the library’s own site for today’s hours.
Compared by size“Similar-size” means libraries serving about as many people, nationwide. Per-resident numbers always flatter the smallest towns, so they’re never compared with big cities.
One year, the library’s own countLibraries report their own visits, loans and programs for fiscal year 2024. A library that didn’t respond keeps its address and hours here, with no numbers.
Source: Institute of Museum and Library Services, Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024. Distances are straight-line from the town center.