New Castle Public Library

What New Castle Public Library does

New Castle Public Library is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit public library founded in 1824 and headquartered at 207 E. North St., New Castle, Pennsylvania. It serves Lawrence County residents and property owners through a single physical library location, plus Armstrong, Butler, and Mercer counties via bookmobile outreach (240+ mile route, 5 days/week, 50 weeks/year) and Books-by-Mail for homebound residents. As the designated District Library Center for four Pennsylvania counties, it also coordinates services with member libraries in the Lawrence County Federated Library System.

The core technology stack is a conventional integrated library system anchored by an online public access catalog (OPAC), the Libby app via OverDrive for digital lending of ebooks, audiobooks, and 3,000+ magazines, and the statewide POWER Library portal for databases, historical documents, and 24/7 Chat with a Librarian. Specialty data assets include the Donald J. Nicolls History Room with digitized New Castle city directories from 1872-1921, a marriage and obituary database from 1880-present, and in-library access to ProQuest Ancestry Library Edition and Newspaper Archive. The library holds PA Forward Gold Star Library status (achieved November 2019, the program's highest tier), Federal Depository Library Program membership since 1963, and Family Place Library designation. Programming spans 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten (early literacy), 100 Books Before College (teens), three adult book clubs, Yiddish Book Group, Summer Reading Program, exam proctoring, and interlibrary loan services.

The revenue model is dominated by public tax funding from Lawrence County residents and property owners, supplemented by state and federal allocations (including LSTA grants). Transactional and ancillary revenue streams include nonresident library cards ($15/six months or $24/year), Mug Club subscriptions ($15/month or $180/year), meeting room rentals (free for public nonprofits, $50 private nonprofits, $75 businesses, plus $25 cleaning fee), exam proctoring ($15/exam), genealogy research services ($5 minimum plus $1/additional page), circulation fees, the GROW fundraising campaign for food insecurity and building improvements, memorial/honor book donations, and the Friends of the Library-operated Book Cellar used bookstore. The 2023 transition to 501(c)(3) status enabled expanded fundraising flexibility. Customer segments include children, teens, adults, genealogy researchers, homebound and rural residents, and district libraries across four counties.

Name

New Castle Public Library

Legal name

New Castle Public Library

Website

https://ncdlc.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1824

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

New Castle Public Library is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit public library in New Castle, Pennsylvania, serving Lawrence County and three surrounding counties through a physical location, bookmobile outreach, digital lending via Libby, genealogy research, and community programming funded primarily by public taxes and donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Library Services

NAICS

Libraries and Archives (51921), Libraries and Archives (519210)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Library Operations & Community Branch Management (EDAEAGAC)

Keywords

• Public library services
• Community lending programs
• Genealogy research resources
• Bookmobile outreach services
• Digital media lending

Headquarters

HQ city

New Castle

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Public Funding and Tax Support: Funded through Lawrence County residents and property owners, with district library center services supported by state and federal allocations
2. Nonresident Library Cards: $15 for six months or $24 per year for Pennsylvania residents outside Lawrence County without a supporting library
3. Exam Proctoring Services: $15 charge per exam regardless of length
4. Genealogy Research Services: Minimum $5 service charge plus $1 per additional page for genealogical research requests
5. Memorial and Honor Book Donations: Minimum $20 donation for memorial and honor book placements
6. Mug Club Subscription: $15 per month or $180 per year subscription including limited edition mugs and O'Neill signature blend coffee
7. Meeting Room Rentals: Rental fees for Copernicus Room: free for public nonprofits, $50 for private nonprofits, $75 for businesses, plus $25 cleaning fee
8. Fines and Replacement Fees: Borrowing withheld when fines exceed $10; replacement costs for lost items, lost card fees ($2), DVD case replacement ($5)
9. Donations and Fundraising: General operating fund donations, GROW campaign for food insecurity and building improvements, Amazon Wish List contributions

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

New Castle Public Library is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit public library providing physical and digital media lending (books, DVDs, audiobooks, and 3,000+ magazine titles), reference and genealogy research services, and community programming to residents of Lawrence County and surrounding Pennsylvania counties. The library operates a physical location at 207 E. North St., a bookmobile covering 240+ miles, a Books-by-Mail service for homebound residents, and digital access through the Libby app and POWER Library statewide portal. It also serves as the District Library Center coordinating shared library services across four counties.

Product overview

New Castle Public Library is a single-site public library offering traditional library services and community programs. The core product portfolio centers on physical and digital media lending (books, DVDs, audiobooks, magazines via Libby), research services (reference, genealogy, government documents), and community programming (book clubs, summer reading, children's and teen services). Key service modules include the Copernicus Meeting Room for community rentals, the Bookmobile and Books-by-Mail outreach programs for underserved populations, and specialized collections like the Family Place Library early childhood program and PA Forward Gold Star literacy initiative. The library also operates the GROW campaign for food insecurity and community support, and runs The Book Cellar resale shop managed by Friends of the Library. Digital access is provided through Libby/OverDrive for ebooks/audiobooks, POWER Library statewide consortium resources, and various research databases including Ancestry and newspaper archives.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Mug Club: Monthly subscription experience offering locally roasted coffee, unique pottery mugs, and support for the Libby digital reading platform. $15/month or $180/year.
• Book Cellar
• GROW Campaign
• Yiddish Book Group

Products and services

• Nonresident Library Card Subscription
• Copernicus Meeting Room Rental
• Exam Proctoring Service
• Genealogy Research Service
• Mug Club Coffee Subscription
• The Book Cellar Used Bookstore
• Memorial and Honor Book Donation Program
• Bookmobile Outreach Service
• Books-by-Mail Service
• Interlibrary Loan Service

Quantifiable outcome

• Free library cards for all Lawrence County residents and property owners
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration10 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Yiddish Book CenterminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Partnership through the Public Libraries Program, part of Between Two Worlds initiative to deepen understanding of Jewish history, religion, and identity through Yiddish literature. Yiddish Book Center provides free book copies for the Yiddish Book Group program.
• Pennsylvania Library Association (PA Forward)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2018Participation in PA Forward Star Library Program since June 2018. Achieved Gold Star status in November 2019, demonstrating excellence in five areas of literacy: basic, information, civic/social, health, and financial literacy.
• U.S. Government Printing Office (Federal Depository Library Program)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2018Participant in Federal Depository Library Program since 1963, providing free access to current and historical government documents including military collection and health services resources.
• Lawrence County Federated Library SystemcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNew Castle Public Library serves as the system headquarters for the Lawrence County Federated Library System, coordinating services with Ellwood City Public Library and F.D. Campbell Memorial Library. The library also serves as District Library Center for Armstrong, Butler, Lawrence, and Mercer counties.
• OverDrive / LibbycoreTechnology or IntegrationDigital lending platform powering the Libby app for ebooks, audiobooks, and magazines. Available through L.A.M.B. Libraries consortium (Lawrence, Armstrong, Mercer, Butler counties) via New Castle District Library Center.
• POWER Library / Pennsylvania Department of EducationcoreTechnology or IntegrationStatewide online portal providing access to databases, newspapers, magazines, eBooks, historical documents, and 24/7 Chat with a Librarian service. Funded by LSTA funds from the Institute of Museum and Library Services.
• ProQuest / Ancestry Library EditioncoreTechnology or IntegrationAncestry Library Edition provides in-library access to billions of historical records including census data, vital records, directories, photos, and more. Only accessible inside the library.
• Lawrence County Historical SocietyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to offer digitized versions of New Castle City Directories through Power Library's Photos and Documents section.
• Family Place LibrariescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNationwide network participant focused on early childhood development, parent education, family support, and community information. Provides five-week workshop series for children birth to 3 years.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Market position

Competitive moat5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@NewCastlePublicLibrary
• Facebookfacebook.com/New-Castle-Public-Library-153576287159
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ncdlc
• Instagraminstagram.com/NewCastlePublicLibraryPA

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about New Castle Public Library