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Library · Wellsville

David A Howe Public Library

David A Howe Public Library serves Wellsville’s 4,587 residents. Last year it lent 59K books, movies and e-books and logged 40K visits.

155 North Main Street, Wellsville 14895 · about 49 hours a week
Photo: AlleganyCounty
Borrowed a year
59K
12.9 per resident
Visits a year
40K
8.7 per resident · Above typical (3)
Programs & events
498
about 10 a week · 11K attended
Cardholders
98%
4,480 cards
Open
49 hrs
a week

What stands out about David A Howe Public Library

Read from the library’s own yearly report. The page puts what stands out first.

★ What stands out · Kids & programs

About 3 kids’ programs a week

Story times, clubs, classes and events, by who they’re for.

Schools in Wellsville →

Programs last year by age group

Ages 0–576
Ages 6–11105
Teens162
Adults88
All ages67
Little ones
1.5

story times and programs a week for ages 0–5, on average.

Kids’ books
23

children’s books and media borrowed per child under 18 in Wellsville last year.

11K
people at programs
498
programs
A year at the library

Every hour the doors are open, about 23 items go out

Fiscal year 2024. The library’s own count.

40K
visits
8.7 per resident
59K
loans, print + digital
12.9 per resident
498
programs & events
11K attended
4,480
library cards
98% of people served
Every open hour23items borrowed
Every week221people at a program
Every day31Wi-Fi sessions
11 staff (full-time equivalent)10 public computers114K books & media on the shelves
What people borrow

Almost half the print loans are kids’ books

59K loans last year: print, kids’ and digital.

59Kloans
Books & media (adults) 36%Kids’ books & media 40%E-books, audio & streaming 24%
How hard the shelves work
0.4×

Each of the 114K books and other items on the shelves went out about 0.4 time last year, on average.

From your couch

14,496 e-books, e-audiobooks and streams last year. Borrow from home with your card, plus research databases: courses, journals, genealogy and more.

What your card is worth

For every $1 it spends, the library lends about $1.49 worth

Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Wellsville cardholder borrows.

In a month I’d use…
Books$17 each
1
Kids’ books$12 each
0
E-books & audio$15 each
0
Movies & music$4 each
0
Programs & classes$10 a program
0
Computer & Wi-Fi$3 a session
0
Your card saves you about
$0
a year at retail prices · $0 a month

Who pays for it
$148 per resident a year

Typical for a library this size: $43. Operating budget $677K.

Local taxes 82%State 1%Gifts & other 17%

Last year the library lent and hosted about $1M worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $677K 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 4,480 cardholders ÷ 12.

How it compares

Ahead of most similar-size libraries on 8 of 8 measures

Per resident, against libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people across the U.S. A tiny town’s library always looks busier per person, so it’s only compared with its own size.

Visits per resident 8.7 visits · typical 3Top 10%
Borrowing per resident 9.8 print items · typical 3.8Top 10%
Digital borrowing 3.2 e-items · typical 1Top 10%
Kids’ borrowing 5.1 kids’ items · typical 1.6Top 10%
Program attendance 2.5 attendees · typical 0.5Top 10%
Programs offered 108.6 per 1,000 residents · typical 34Top 10%
Cardholders 98% of residents · typical 42%Top 10%
Spending $148 per resident · typical $43Top 10%
Fewer per residentMore per resident
Size group

David A Howe Public Library serves 4,587 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000.

The building

Find it

David A Howe Public Library, 155 North Main Street, Wellsville.

49
hours open a week
41,545
square feet
114K
books & media
With a card

No late fees. E-books and audiobooks from home. Research databases: courses, journals, genealogy.

New in Wellsville? The Handbook →

Hours are the survey’s yearly average. Check the library’s own site for today’s hours.

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 Wellsville.

Town Square →
Weigh in
Is David A Howe Public Library one of the best things about Wellsville?

Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.

Start a conversation

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.

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