Sutherland’s library runs 418 programs per 1,000 residents, against a typical 60 for libraries its size
General N.B. Baker Library serves Sutherland’s 827 residents. Last year it lent 1,459 print books and media and logged 5,748 visits.
What Sutherland’s library is like
More of a place to be than a place to borrow
Visits per resident beat 79% of similar-size libraries, while borrowing beats only 21%. The building also logs about 2 Wi-Fi sessions a day. Program attendance beats 98% of similar libraries. A year at the library ↓
Seven times the programs of a typical library its size
General N.B. Baker Library ran 346 programs last year, about 7 a week. That’s 418 per 1,000 residents, against a typical 60. People show up: 4,855 attended. Kids & programs ↓
A small-town library
General N.B. Baker Library serves 827 residents with about one full-time staff, open about 25 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 Sutherland’s civic life grade
Sutherland 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 2 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 Sutherland 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.
General N.B. Baker Library serves 827 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving under 2,500.
Every hour the doors are open, about 1 item goes out
Fiscal year 2024. The library’s own count.
More than half the print loans are kids’ books
1,459 print loans last year. The library didn’t report its e-book and e-audiobook loans.
Each of the 9,655 books and other items on the shelves went out about 0.2 time last year, on average.
Find it
General N.B. Baker Library, 315 Ash St., Sutherland.
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 $1.54 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Sutherland cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $54. Operating budget $47K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $72K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $47K 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 480 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 Sutherland
Does Sutherland have a public library?
Yes. General N.B. Baker Library, 315 Ash St., serves Sutherland’s 827 residents (the survey’s count) and is open about 25 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is General N.B. Baker Library fine-free?
Yes, no late fees (the library’s 2024 survey report).
How busy is Sutherland’s library?
It logged 7.0 visits and lent 1.8 print items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3.5 visits for libraries serving under 2,500 people.
What is Sutherland’s civic life grade?
Sutherland 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 Sutherland.
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.