Elma Public Library
Elma Public Library serves 11,721 people in and around Elma Center. Last year it lent 108K books, movies and e-books and logged 42K visits.
Elma Center’s library, in brief
Elma Center is a town of borrowers
Elma Public Library lends 9.2 print items per resident, against a typical 3.9 for libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000 people, more than 88% of similar-size libraries. Each item on the shelves went out about 2.6 times last year. What people borrow ↓
Kids borrow more here than almost anywhere
Children’s books and media are 48% of print loans, and kids’ borrowing per resident is higher than at 86% of similar-size libraries. Kids & programs ↓
Elma Public Library serves more than Elma Center
The library’s service area covers 11,721 people in and around Elma Center, so its per-resident numbers are measured against that wider population. How it compares ↓
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.
Almost half the print loans are kids’ books
108K print loans last year. The library didn’t report its e-book and e-audiobook loans.
Each of the 41K books and other items on the shelves went out about 2.6 times last year, on average.
About 2 kids’ programs 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.
For every $1 it spends, the library lends about $4.27 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Elma Center cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $43. Operating budget $384K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $1.6M worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $384K 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 6,213 cardholders ÷ 12.
Every hour the doors are open, about 47 items go out
Fiscal year 2024. The library’s own count.
Strongest at borrowing per resident
Per resident, against libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000 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.
Elma Public Library serves 11,721 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000.
Find it
Elma Public Library, 1860 Bowen Road, Elma.
No late fees. Loans renew on their own if no one’s waiting. Research databases: courses, journals, genealogy.
New in Elma Center? 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elma Center | Elma Public Library fine-free | 9.2 | 44 |
| Billington Heights | 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 Elma Center.
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.