Library · Lawrence
Peninsula Public Library
Lawrence’s library is the Peninsula Public Library, a branch of Peninsula Public Library, open about 64 hours a week.
IMLS Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024School-district system. Lawrence’s branch belongs to Peninsula Public Library, which serves 39,114 people. The yearly numbers below are for the whole system, not just this branch. A card works at every branch.
Your branch
Peninsula Public Library
280 Central Avenue, Lawrence 11559
64 hrsopen a week
13,000sq 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 Peninsula Public Library
58K
visits
1.5 per resident
390K
loans, print + digital
10.0 per resident
503
programs & events
15K attended
13K
library cards
33% 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
1.5 visits · typical 2.6
Lower than most similar-size libraries (22th percentile)
Borrowing per resident
8.7 print items · typical 3.7
Higher than 86% of similar-size libraries
Digital borrowing
1.3 e-items · typical 1.2
Higher than 53% of similar-size libraries
Kids’ borrowing
4.4 kids’ items · typical 1.7
Higher than 87% of similar-size libraries
Program attendance
0.4 attendees · typical 0.3
Higher than 61% of similar-size libraries
Cardholders
33% of residents
A little below typical (36th percentile)
Borrowing & programs
What people use it for
What people borrow
390K loans last year
Books & media (adults)43%Kids’ books & media44%E-books, audio & streaming13%
Who the programs are for
503 story times, classes, clubs and events
Money
Who pays for it
$78 per resident a year
Typical for a library this size: $40. Operating budget $3.1M.
Local 92%State 4%Gifts & other 4%
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.