Library · Helena
Lewis and Clark Library
Helena’s library is the Lewis and Clark Library, a branch of Lewis and Clark Library, open about 62 hours a week.
IMLS Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024County system. Helena’s branch belongs to Lewis and Clark Library, which serves 70,973 people. The yearly numbers below are for the whole system, not just this branch. A card works at every branch.
Your branch
Lewis and Clark Library
120 South Last Chance Gulch, Helena 59601
62 hrsopen a week
37,660sq ft
Fine-freeNo late fees on books returned late
E-books & audiobooksBorrow from home with your card
Research databasesOnline courses, journals, genealogy and more
Fiscal year 2024
A year at Lewis and Clark Library
238K
visits
3.4 per resident
423K
loans, print + digital
6.0 per resident
745
programs & events
20K attended
25K
library cards
35% 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
3.4 visits · typical 2.6
Higher than 65% of similar-size libraries
Borrowing per resident
4.1 print items · typical 3.7
Higher than 54% of similar-size libraries
Digital borrowing
1.9 e-items · typical 1.2
Higher than 70% of similar-size libraries
Kids’ borrowing
1.8 kids’ items · typical 1.7
Higher than 52% of similar-size libraries
Program attendance
0.3 attendees · typical 0.3
A little below typical (42th percentile)
Cardholders
35% of residents
A little below typical (40th percentile)
Borrowing & programs
What people use it for
What people borrow
423K loans last year
Books & media (adults)38%Kids’ books & media30%E-books, audio & streaming32%
Who the programs are for
745 story times, classes, clubs and events
Money
Who pays for it
$59 per resident a year
Typical for a library this size: $40. Operating budget $4.2M.
Local 89%State 1%Federal 0%Gifts & other 10%
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.