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Cumberland Public Library

Cumberland’s library runs 86 programs per 1,000 residents, against a typical 60 for libraries its size

Cumberland Public Library serves Cumberland’s 384 residents. Last year it lent 724 print books and media and logged 739 visits.

119 Main, Cumberland 50843 · about 20 hours a week
–Civic lifeNot graded: fewer than 1,000 residents
Borrowed a year
724
1.9 per resident
Visits a year
739
1.9 per resident · Below typical (3.5)
Programs & events
33
about 1 a week · 281 attended
Cardholders
22%
86 cards
Open
20 hrs
a week
In brief

Cumberland’s library, in brief

A small-town library

Cumberland Public Library serves 384 residents with about one full-time staff. 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 ↓

Open only about 20 hours a week

Cumberland Public Library keeps short hours: about 20 a week, averaged over the year, so check its schedule before you go. The building ↓

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.

Civic life grade

What’s behind Cumberland’s civic life grade

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

–
Civic lifeA character grade: shown, never part of Cumberland’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 →

How it compares

Ahead of most similar-size libraries on 2 of 7 measures

Per resident, against libraries serving under 2,500 people across the U.S.

Visits per resident 1.9 visits · typical 3.5Lower than 76%
Borrowing per resident 1.9 print items · typical 3.9Lower than 77%
Kids’ borrowing 0.1 kids’ items · typical 1.4Bottom 10%
Program attendance 0.7 attendees · typical 0.7Higher than 52%
Programs offered 85.9 per 1,000 residents · typical 60Higher than 64%
Cardholders 22% of residents · typical 54%Lower than 86%
Spending $48 per resident · typical $54Lower than 57%
Fewer per residentMore per resident
Size group

Cumberland Public Library serves 384 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving under 2,500.

A year at the library

A year at Cumberland Public Library

Fiscal year 2024. The library’s own count.

739
visits
1.9 per resident
724
loans, print + digital
1.9 per resident
33
programs & events
281 attended
86
library cards
22% of people served
Every open hour1items borrowed
Every week5people at a program
Every day1Wi-Fi sessions
1 staff (full-time equivalent)6 public computers6,954 books & media on the shelves
What people borrow

Books and media off the shelf

724 print loans last year. The library didn’t report its e-book and e-audiobook loans.

724loans
Books & media (adults) 97%Kids’ books & media 3%
How hard the shelves work
0.1×

Each of the 6,954 books and other items on the shelves went out about 0.1 time last year, on average.

Kids & programs

33 programs a year

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

Schools in Cumberland →

Programs last year by age group

Ages 0–58
Ages 6–115
Teens2
Adults8
All ages10
Little ones
0.2

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

23
kids’ books & media borrowed
281
people at programs
33
programs
The building

Find it

Cumberland Public Library, 119 Main, Cumberland.

20
hours open a week
1,644
square feet
6,954
books & media
With a card

No late fees.

New in Cumberland? The Handbook →

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

What your card is worth

What a library card is worth

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

In a month I’d use…
Books$17 each
1
Kids’ books$12 each
0
E-books & audio$15 each
0
Movies & music$4 each
0
Programs & classes$10 a program
0
Computer & Wi-Fi$3 a session
1
Your card saves you about
$240
a year at retail prices · $20 a month

Who pays for it
$48 per resident a year

Typical for a library this size: $54. Operating budget $19K.

Local taxes 94%State 6%

Last year the library lent and hosted about $17K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $19K 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 86 cardholders ÷ 12.

How to read these numbers

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 Cumberland

Does Cumberland have a public library?

Yes. Cumberland Public Library, 119 Main, serves Cumberland’s 384 residents (the survey’s count) and is open about 20 hours a week, averaged over the year.

Is Cumberland Public Library fine-free?

Yes, no late fees (the library’s 2024 survey report).

How busy is Cumberland’s library?

It logged 1.9 visits and lent 1.9 print items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3.5 visits for libraries serving under 2,500 people.

What is Cumberland’s civic life grade?

Cumberland 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 Cumberland.

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.