Richmond Public Library
Richmond Public Library serves 441 people in and around Richmond Township. Last year it lent 5,271 books, movies and e-books and logged 4,162 visits.
The short version on Richmond Township’s library
Mostly paid for by gifts, not taxes
53% of the library’s income comes from gifts, endowments, fees and other sources, not taxes. Local taxes cover 27%. What your card is worth ↓
Five times the programs of a typical library its size
Richmond Public Library ran 121 programs last year, about 2 a week. That’s 274 per 1,000 residents, against a typical 60. People show up: 907 attended. Kids & programs ↓
Richmond Township uses its library more than almost any town its size
Richmond Public Library logs 9.4 visits per resident, against a typical 3.5 for libraries serving under 2,500 people, and lends 12 print items per resident against a typical 3.9. On both counts it beats 88% of similar-size libraries across the U.S. How it compares ↓
A small-town library
Richmond Public Library serves 441 residents with about one full-time staff, open about 31 hours a week. It’s compared only with libraries serving under 2,500 people, because per-person numbers always look big in a small town. A year at the library ↓
Richmond Township invests in its library
Richmond Public Library spends $188 per resident a year, about four times the typical $54 for a library its size. 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; in a town this small, one busy program or a few avid readers move the per-resident numbers.
About 1 kids’ program a week
Story times, clubs, classes and events, by who they’re for.
Programs last year by age group
story times and programs a week for ages 0–5, on average.
Mostly books and media off the shelf
5,271 loans last year: print, kids’ and digital.
Each of the 8,292 books and other items on the shelves went out about 0.6 time last year, on average.
89 e-books, e-audiobooks and streams last year. Borrow from home with your card, plus research databases: courses, journals, genealogy and more.
Every hour the doors are open, about 3 items go out
Fiscal year 2024. The library’s own count.
For every $1 it spends, the library lends about $1.12 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Richmond Township cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $54. Operating budget $83K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $93K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $83K 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 268 cardholders ÷ 12.
Ahead of most similar-size libraries on 6 of 8 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving under 2,500 people across the U.S. A tiny town’s library always looks busier per person, so it’s only compared with its own size.
library systems for visits per resident.
Richmond Public Library serves 441 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving under 2,500.
Find it
Richmond Public Library, 107 E. Central, Richmond.
No late fees. E-books and audiobooks from home. Research databases: courses, journals, genealogy.
New in Richmond Township? The Handbook →Hours are the survey’s yearly average. Check the library’s own site for today’s hours.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Williamsburg Township | Williamsburg Community Library fine-free | 14.0 | 32 |
| Richmond Township | Richmond Public Library fine-free | 12.0 | 31 |
| Putnam Township | None of its own | — | — |
| Pottawatomie Township | None of its own | — | — |
| Ohio Township | None of its own | — | — |
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.
About these numbers
From the Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024.
- Hours are an average. The 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.
- The library’s own count. Libraries report their own visits, loans and programs. A library that didn’t respond keeps its address and hours here, with no numbers.
Book talk
Reading, story times and the library in Richmond Township.
Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.
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.