Elbow Lake: Thorson Memorial Library, serving an area of 1,980 residents, has a collection of 13,800 books and periodicals; in addition, there are 420 CDs, records, cassettes and other audio materials, as well as 460 video items, such as DVDs and VHS tapes. Internet terminals are available for use by the general public.
Staffing consists of 2 employees, including one fully accredited librarian, plus volunteers. Annual expenditures on the library collection total $12,000. Patrons make 14,700 visits annually, and check out materials 35,000 times. Forty-four percent of all check-outs are children's materials.