Library · Lancaster
Lancaster Public Library
Lancaster’s library is the Lancaster Public Library, a branch of Lancaster Public Library, open about 56 hours a week.
IMLS Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024Regional system. Lancaster’s branch belongs to Lancaster Public Library, which serves 214,988 people. The yearly numbers below are for the whole system, not just this branch. A card works at every branch.
Your branch
Lancaster Public Library
151 North Queen St., Lancaster 17603
56 hrsopen a week
32,000sq ft
Charges late finesLate fees on some overdue items
E-books & audiobooksBorrow from home with your card
Research databasesOnline courses, journals, genealogy and more
Fiscal year 2024
A year at Lancaster Public Library
236K
visits
1.1 per resident
908K
loans, print + digital
4.2 per resident
751
programs & events
15K attended
28K
library cards
13% of people served
How it compares
Against libraries serving 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
1.1 visits · typical 2.1
Lower than most similar-size libraries (12th percentile)
Borrowing per resident
1.9 print items · typical 3.2
Lower than most similar-size libraries (22th percentile)
Digital borrowing
2.4 e-items · typical 1.4
Higher than 71% of similar-size libraries
Kids’ borrowing
1.1 kids’ items · typical 1.6
A little below typical (31th percentile)
Program attendance
0.1 attendees · typical 0.2
Lower than most similar-size libraries (6th percentile)
Cardholders
13% of residents
Lower than most similar-size libraries (6th percentile)
Borrowing & programs
What people use it for
What people borrow
908K loans last year
Books & media (adults)18%Kids’ books & media26%E-books, audio & streaming56%
Who the programs are for
751 story times, classes, clubs and events
Money
Who pays for it
$11 per resident a year
Typical for a library this size: $36. Operating budget $2.3M.
Local 14%State 18%Federal 5%Gifts & other 63%
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.