Fredericksburg’s library runs 244 programs per 1,000 residents, against a typical 60 for libraries its size
Upham Memorial Library serves Fredericksburg’s 2,234 residents. Last year it lent 10K print books and media and logged 8,350 visits.
What Fredericksburg’s library is like
Four times the programs of a typical library its size
Upham Memorial Library ran 545 programs last year, about 10 a week. That’s 244 per 1,000 residents, against a typical 60. People show up: 8,594 attended. Kids & programs ↓
A small-town library
Upham Memorial Library serves 2,234 residents with about one full-time staff, open about 42 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 ↓
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 Fredericksburg’s civic life grade
Fredericksburg 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 4 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 Fredericksburg last year.
Ahead of most similar-size libraries on 5 of 7 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving under 2,500 people across the U.S.
Upham Memorial Library serves 2,234 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving under 2,500.
Every hour the doors are open, about 5 items go out
Fiscal year 2024. The library’s own count.
Books and media off the shelf
10K print loans last year. The library didn’t report its e-book and e-audiobook loans.
Each of the 17K books and other items on the shelves went out about 0.6 time last year, on average.
Find it
Upham Memorial Library, 138 W Main St., Fredericksburg.
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 $2.73 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Fredericksburg cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $54. Operating budget $88K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $239K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $88K 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 1,108 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 Fredericksburg
Does Fredericksburg have a public library?
Yes. Upham Memorial Library, 138 W Main St., serves Fredericksburg’s 2,234 residents (the survey’s count) and is open about 42 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Upham Memorial Library fine-free?
Yes, no late fees (the library’s 2024 survey report).
How busy is Fredericksburg’s library?
It logged 3.7 visits and lent 4.6 print items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3.5 visits for libraries serving under 2,500 people.
What is Fredericksburg’s civic life grade?
Fredericksburg 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 Fredericksburg.
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.