Photo: Kenneth C. Zirkel · CC BY-SA 4.0Branford’s library runs 35 programs per 1,000 residents, against a typical 14 for libraries its size
James Blackstone Memorial Library serves Branford’s 28,031 residents. Last year it lent 210K books, movies and e-books and logged 123K visits.
Branford’s library, in brief
Twice the programs of a typical library its size
James Blackstone Memorial Library ran 970 programs last year, about 19 a week. That’s 35 per 1,000 residents, against a typical 14. Kids & programs ↓
Programs lean toward adults
53% of the 970 programs last year were for adults: classes, talks, clubs and events. 322 were for children. Kids & programs ↓
This summary is written from the numbers on this page. Numbers are the library’s own report to the Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024.
What’s behind Branford’s civic life grade
On library visits, community nonprofits and volunteering, Branford is ahead of 66% of U.S. towns, #61 of 155 in Connecticut. Library visits hold the grade up; the share of younger adults in volunteering groups pulls it down.
Civic life counts registered nonprofits, library visits and online volunteering groups, so it can miss civic life that runs through congregations, mutual aid or neighbors looking out for each other.
Library visits: IMLS Public Libraries Survey, FY2024. Nonprofits: IRS Exempt Organizations Business Master File, October 2026. Volunteering: Social Capital Atlas (Opportunity Insights), from data by Meta Platforms, Inc.; Chetty et al., Nature 2022. How TownRatings grades civic life →
138 community nonprofits are registered in Branford
4.9 per 1,000 residents, against a U.S. town median of 3.7. The largest group: human services.
Community nonprofits, by kind
Counted from the IRS list of tax-exempt organizations by mailing address (fractions where a ZIP code spans towns). Congregations are counted apart (17 here), since whether a church registers depends on its denomination, not the town. 7 more name a national or statewide reach and are left out.
6.8%
6.8% of Branford’s Facebook users aged 25–44 belong to a volunteering or activism group, against 7.5% in the typical Connecticut town and 7.5% nationally.
Volunteering: Social Capital Atlas (Opportunity Insights), from data by Meta Platforms, Inc.; Chetty et al., Nature 2022. ZIP-code figures, weighted by where Branford’s residents live; 2022.
About 6 kids’ programs a week
Story times, clubs, classes and events, by who they’re for.
Programs last year by age group
story times and programs a week for ages 0–5, on average.
children’s books and media borrowed per child under 18 in Branford last year.
Ahead of most similar-size libraries on 7 of 8 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people across the U.S.
James Blackstone Memorial Library serves 28,031 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000.
Every hour the doors are open, about 65 items go out
Fiscal year 2024. The library’s own count.
Mostly books and media off the shelf
210K loans last year: print, kids’ and digital.
Each of the 60K books and other items on the shelves went out about 2.6 times last year, on average.
51,344 e-books, e-audiobooks and streams last year. Borrow from home with your card, plus research databases: courses, journals, genealogy and more.
2 places to borrow in Branford
James Blackstone Memorial Library, 758 Main St., Branford.
No late fees. E-books and audiobooks from home. Loans renew on their own if no one’s waiting. Research databases: courses, journals, genealogy.
New in Branford? The Handbook →Hours are the survey’s yearly average. Check the library’s own site for today’s hours.
Other libraries in Branford
For every $1 it spends, the library lends about $1.93 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Branford cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $40. Operating budget $1.8M.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $3.5M worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $1.8M 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 8,100 cardholders ÷ 12.
Libraries next door
Branford ranks 3rd of 4 for borrowing per resident. Tap a town to see its library.
| Town | Library | Loans per resident | Hours | Civic life |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guilford | Guilford Free Library | 13.2 | 61 | A |
| North Branford | North Branford Library Department fine-free | 8.0 | 54 | B− |
| Branford | James Blackstone Memorial Library fine-free | 7.5 | 62 | B+ |
| East Haven | Hagaman Memorial Library fine-free | 2.5 | 48 | C− |
Loans = print + digital items borrowed in the library’s fiscal year, per person it serves. — = no library of its own, a county or regional system (its numbers cover many towns), or no report. Civic life: — = not graded (unincorporated places, whose nonprofits can’t be placed by mailing address, or towns with fewer than two of the three inputs).
What this data can and can’t tell you
From the Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024.
- Visits are a typical-week estimate. James Blackstone Memorial Library counted one typical week and multiplied by 52, as the survey allows.
Hours are the survey’s yearly average; libraries are compared with others serving about as many people. How TownRatings uses library figures →
Questions about the library and civic life in Branford
Does Branford have a public library?
Yes. James Blackstone Memorial Library, 758 Main St., serves Branford’s 28,031 residents (the survey’s count) and is open about 62 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is James Blackstone Memorial Library fine-free? Does it lend e-books?
Yes to both: no late fees, and e-books, audiobooks and research databases with a card (the library’s 2024 survey report).
How busy is Branford’s library?
It logged 4.4 visits and lent 7.5 items per resident in 2024, against a typical 2.6 visits for libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people.
What is Branford’s civic life grade?
B+ Branford is ahead of 66% of U.S. towns on civic life, #61 of 155 in Connecticut. The grade combines library visits per resident, community nonprofits per 1,000 residents and the share of adults 25–44 in volunteering groups. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
Book talk
Reading, story times and the library in Branford.
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.