Library · Lake Crystal
Lake Crystal Public Library
Lake Crystal’s library is the Lake Crystal Public Library, a branch of Blue Earth County Library, open about 31 hours a week.
IMLS Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024County system. Lake Crystal’s branch belongs to Blue Earth County Library, which serves 70,291 people. The yearly numbers below are for the whole system, not just this branch. A card works at every branch.
Your branch
Lake Crystal Public Library
100 Robinson Street, Lake Crystal 56055
31 hrsopen a week
1,756sq ft
Charges late finesLate fees on some overdue items
E-books & audiobooksBorrow from home with your card
Auto-renews loansBooks renew on their own if no one’s waiting
Research databasesOnline courses, journals, genealogy and more
Fiscal year 2024
A year at Blue Earth County Library
147K
visits
2.1 per resident
398K
loans, print + digital
5.7 per resident
330
programs & events
7,543 attended
16K
library cards
23% of people served
How it compares
Against libraries serving 25,000 to 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
2.1 visits · typical 2.6
A little below typical (39th percentile)
Borrowing per resident
4.8 print items · typical 3.7
Higher than 61% of similar-size libraries
Digital borrowing
0.8 e-items · typical 1.2
A little below typical (37th percentile)
Kids’ borrowing
2.9 kids’ items · typical 1.7
Higher than 73% of similar-size libraries
Program attendance
0.1 attendees · typical 0.3
Lower than most similar-size libraries (11th percentile)
Cardholders
23% of residents
Lower than most similar-size libraries (18th percentile)
Borrowing & programs
What people use it for
What people borrow
398K loans last year
Books & media (adults)33%Kids’ books & media52%E-books, audio & streaming15%
Who the programs are for
330 story times, classes, clubs and events
Money
Who pays for it
$23 per resident a year
Typical for a library this size: $40. Operating budget $1.6M.
Local 95%Gifts & other 5%
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.