Beaman’s library runs 803 programs per 1,000 residents, against a typical 60 for libraries its size
Beaman Community Memorial Library serves Beaman’s 193 residents. Last year it lent 2,080 print books and media and logged 2,215 visits.
The short version on Beaman’s library
More library cards than residents
616 cards for 193 people. Cards held by people from outside the service area count too, so the total can pass the population. At the typical library serving under 2,500 people, it’s 54%. How it compares ↓
13 times the programs of a typical library its size
Beaman Community Memorial Library ran 155 programs last year, about 3 a week. That’s 803 per 1,000 residents, against a typical 60. People show up: 501 attended. Kids & programs ↓
Beaman uses its library more than almost any town its size
Beaman Community Memorial Library logs 11 visits per resident, against a typical 3.5 for libraries serving under 2,500 people, and lends 11 print items per resident against a typical 3.9. On both counts it beats 88% of similar-size libraries across the U.S. How it compares ↓
A small-town library
Beaman Community Memorial Library serves 193 residents with about one full-time staff, open about 23 hours a week. It’s compared only with libraries serving under 2,500 people, because per-person numbers always look big in a small town. A year at the library ↓
Beaman invests in its library
Beaman Community Memorial Library spends $199 per resident a year, about four times the typical $54 for a library its size. What your card is worth ↓
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; in a town this small, one busy program or a few avid readers move the per-resident numbers.
What’s behind Beaman’s civic life grade
Beaman isn’t graded on civic life: TownRatings grades towns of 1,000 residents or more.
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 →
About 1 kids’ program 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 all 7 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving under 2,500 people across the U.S.
Beaman Community Memorial Library serves 193 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving under 2,500.
Every hour the doors are open, about 2 items go out
Fiscal year 2024. The library’s own count.
Books and media off the shelf
2,080 print loans last year. The library didn’t report its e-book and e-audiobook loans.
Each of the 6,762 books and other items on the shelves went out about 0.3 time last year, on average.
Find it
Beaman Community Memorial Library, 223 Main St., Beaman.
Hours are the survey’s yearly average. Check the library’s own site for today’s hours.
For every $1 it spends, the library lends about $1.18 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Beaman cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $54. Operating budget $38K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $45K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $38K 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 616 cardholders ÷ 12.
What this data can and can’t tell you
From the Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024.
- Digital loans not reported. The library didn’t report e-book loans, so borrowing here is print only.
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 Beaman
Does Beaman have a public library?
Yes. Beaman Community Memorial Library, 223 Main St., serves Beaman’s 193 residents (the survey’s count) and is open about 23 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Beaman Community Memorial Library fine-free?
Yes, no late fees (the library’s 2024 survey report).
How busy is Beaman’s library?
It logged 11.5 visits and lent 10.8 print items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3.5 visits for libraries serving under 2,500 people.
What is Beaman’s civic life grade?
Beaman 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 Beaman.
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.