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Woodbury Public Library

Woodbury Center’s library lends 10 print items per resident, against a typical 3.8 for libraries its size

Woodbury Public Library serves 9,862 people in and around Woodbury Center. Last year it lent 116K books, movies and e-books and logged 71K visits.

269 Main Street South, Woodbury 06798 · about 52 hours a week
–Civic lifeNot graded: fewer than 1,000 residents
Borrowed a year
116K
11.8 per resident
Visits a year
71K
7.2 per resident · Above typical (3)
Programs & events
585
about 11 a week · 11K attended
Cardholders
43%
4,275 cards
Open
52 hrs
a week
In brief

The short version on Woodbury Center’s library

Woodbury Center uses its library more than almost any town its size

Woodbury Public Library logs 7.2 visits per resident, against a typical 3 for libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people, and lends 10 print items per resident against a typical 3.8. On both counts it beats 87% of similar-size libraries across the U.S. How it compares ↓

Kids borrow more here than almost anywhere

Children’s books and media are 40% of print loans, and kids’ borrowing per resident is higher than at 86% of similar-size libraries. Kids & programs ↓

Woodbury Public Library serves more than Woodbury Center

The library’s service area covers 9,862 people in and around Woodbury Center, so its per-resident numbers are measured against that wider population. How it compares ↓

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.

Civic life grade

What’s behind Woodbury Center’s civic life grade

Woodbury Center isn’t graded on civic life: TownRatings grades towns of 1,000 residents or more.

–
Civic lifeA character grade: shown, never part of Woodbury Center’s overall grade.

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 →

★ What stands out · What people borrow

Mostly books and media off the shelf

116K loans last year: print, kids’ and digital.

116Kloans
Books & media (adults) 52%Kids’ books & media 35%E-books, audio & streaming 13%
How hard the shelves work
1×

Each of the 96K books and other items on the shelves went out about 1 time last year, on average.

From your couch

15,475 e-books, e-audiobooks and streams last year. Borrow from home with your card, plus research databases: courses, journals, genealogy and more.

How it compares

Ahead of most similar-size libraries on all 8 measures

Per resident, against libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people across the U.S.

Visits per resident 7.2 visits · typical 3Higher than 87%
Borrowing per resident 10.2 print items · typical 3.8Top 10%
Digital borrowing 1.6 e-items · typical 1Higher than 67%
Kids’ borrowing 4.1 kids’ items · typical 1.6Higher than 86%
Program attendance 1.1 attendees · typical 0.5Higher than 82%
Programs offered 59.3 per 1,000 residents · typical 34Higher than 74%
Cardholders 43% of residents · typical 42%Higher than 52%
Spending $72 per resident · typical $43Higher than 79%
Fewer per residentMore per resident
Size group

Woodbury Public Library serves 9,862 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000.

A year at the library

Every hour the doors are open, about 43 items go out

Fiscal year 2024. The library’s own count.

71K
visits
7.2 per resident
116K
loans, print + digital
11.8 per resident
585
programs & events
11K attended
4,275
library cards
43% of people served
Every open hour43items borrowed
Every week214people at a program
Every day18Wi-Fi sessions
9 staff (full-time equivalent)21 public computers96K books & media on the shelves
Kids & programs

About 4 kids’ programs a week

Story times, clubs, classes and events, by who they’re for.

Schools in Woodbury Center →

Programs last year by age group

Ages 0–588
Ages 6–1194
Teens129
Adults246
All ages28
Little ones
1.7

story times and programs a week for ages 0–5, on average.

40K
kids’ books & media borrowed
11K
people at programs
585
programs
The building

Find it

Woodbury Public Library, 269 Main Street South, Woodbury.

52
hours open a week
12,000
square feet
96K
books & media
With a card

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 Woodbury Center? The Handbook →

Hours are the survey’s yearly average. Check the library’s own site for today’s hours.

What your card is worth

For every $1 it spends, the library lends about $2.65 worth

Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Woodbury Center cardholder borrows.

In a month I’d use…
Books$17 each
1
Kids’ books$12 each
1
E-books & audio$15 each
0
Movies & music$4 each
0
Programs & classes$10 a program
0
Computer & Wi-Fi$3 a session
0
Your card saves you about
$348
a year at retail prices · $29 a month

Who pays for it
$72 per resident a year

Typical for a library this size: $43. Operating budget $710K.

Local taxes 88%State 1%Gifts & other 11%

Last year the library lent and hosted about $1.9M worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $710K 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 4,275 cardholders ÷ 12.

How to read these numbers

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 Woodbury Center

Does Woodbury Center have a public library?

Yes. Woodbury Public Library, 269 Main Street South, serves 9,862 people in and around Woodbury Center (the survey’s count) and is open about 52 hours a week, averaged over the year.

Is Woodbury Public 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 Woodbury Center’s library?

It logged 7.2 visits and lent 11.8 items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3 visits for libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people.

What is Woodbury Center’s civic life grade?

Woodbury Center isn’t graded on civic life: TownRatings grades towns of 1,000 residents or more. How it works.

Book talk

Reading, story times and the library in Woodbury Center.

Town Square →
Start a conversation

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.