Photo: Quintin Soloviev · CC BY 4.0New London’s library runs 34 programs per 1,000 residents, against a typical 14 for libraries its size
Public Library of New London serves 27,560 people in and around New London. Last year it lent 64K books, movies and e-books and logged 97K visits.
New London’s library, in brief
The library is a National Register landmark
New London Public Library has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1970. Today’s library there has 22,000 square feet. The building ↓
Few residents carry a card
Only 16% of the people Public Library of New London serves have a library card, against a typical 39% for its size. How it compares ↓
Twice the programs of a typical library its size
Public Library of New London ran 946 programs last year, about 18 a week. That’s 34 per 1,000 residents, against a typical 14. 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 New London’s civic life grade
On library visits, community nonprofits and volunteering, New London is ahead of 52% of U.S. towns, #90 of 155 in Connecticut. New London’s count of community nonprofits holds 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 →
146 community nonprofits are registered in New London
5.3 per 1,000 residents, against a U.S. town median of 3.7. The largest group: arts & culture.
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 (25 here), since whether a church registers depends on its denomination, not the town. 11 more name a national or statewide reach and are left out.
6.3%
6.3% of New London’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 New London’s residents live; 2022.
About 8 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.
Ahead of most similar-size libraries on 3 of 8 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people across the U.S.
Public Library of New London serves 27,560 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000.
Every hour the doors are open, about 24 items go out
Fiscal year 2024. The library’s own count.
Mostly books and media off the shelf
64K loans last year: print, kids’ and digital.
Each of the 69K books and other items on the shelves went out about 0.6 time last year, on average.
19,246 e-books, e-audiobooks and streams last year. Borrow from home with your card, plus research databases: courses, journals, genealogy and more.
A National Register landmark since 1970
Public Library of New London, 63 Huntington St., New London.
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 New London? The Handbook →Hours are the survey’s yearly average. Check the library’s own site for today’s hours.
New London Public Library
New London Public Library was added to the National Register of Historic Places on Oct 15, 1970. It is significant for its architecture at the local level.
The Public Library of New London is a historic library located at 63 Huntington Street at the corner of State Street, New London, Connecticut. The library was given to the city by Henry Philemon Haven. It was constructed in 1889–1892 and was designed by Shepley, Rutan and Coolidge in the Richardsonian Romanesque style; George Warren Cole was the project supervisor.
More about the building →What a library card is worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average New London cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $40. Operating budget $1.2M.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $1.1M worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $1.2M 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 4,436 cardholders ÷ 12.
Libraries next door
New London ranks 3rd of 4 for borrowing per resident. Tap a town to see its library.
| Town | Library | Loans per resident | Hours | Civic life |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Waterford | Waterford Public Library | 9.2 | 61 | B+ |
| Groton | Groton Public Library fine-free | 7.1 | 68 | B− |
| New London | Public Library of New London fine-free | 2.3 | 51 | B− |
| Groton | Bill Memorial Library fine-free | 2.1 | 49 | C |
| Conning Towers-Nautilus Park | None of its own | — | — | — graded as part of its town |
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.
- 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.
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 New London
Does New London have a public library?
Yes. Public Library of New London, 63 Huntington St., serves 27,560 people in and around New London (the survey’s count) and is open about 51 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Public Library of New London 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 New London’s library?
It logged 3.5 visits and lent 2.3 items per resident in 2024, against a typical 2.6 visits for libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people.
What is New London’s civic life grade?
B− New London is ahead of 52% of U.S. towns on civic life, #90 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 New London.
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. Building history: National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places; photo via Wikimedia Commons. “What your card is worth” uses typical retail prices and is an estimate, not an official figure.