Photo: T.S. Custadio aka ToddC4176 at en.wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0Bourne’s library logs 0.7 visits per resident, against a typical 3.1 for libraries its size
Jonathan Bourne Public Library serves Bourne’s 20,667 residents. Last year it lent 96K print books and media and logged 14K visits.
Bourne’s library, in brief
The library is a National Register landmark
Jonathan Bourne Public Library has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 2013. Today’s library there has 16,000 square feet. The building ↓
Fewer visits than most libraries its size
Jonathan Bourne Public Library records 0.7 visits per resident, against a typical 3.1 for libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000 people, below 95% of similar-size libraries. Borrowing holds up better, at 4.6 print items per resident. 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.
What’s behind Bourne’s civic life grade
On library visits and community nonprofits, Bourne is ahead of 30% of U.S. towns, #219 of 283 in Massachusetts. Bourne is graded on two of the three inputs. Bourne’s count of community nonprofits holds the grade up; library visits pull it down.
Most U.S. towns with similar household incomes ($68K–$114K) score higher, so income alone doesn’t account for it.
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 →
105 community nonprofits are registered in Bourne
5.2 per 1,000 residents, against a U.S. town median of 3.7. The largest group: civic groups, clubs & veterans.
Community nonprofits, by kind
Counted from the IRS list of tax-exempt organizations by mailing address (fractions where a ZIP code spans towns). Congregations are counted apart (3 here), since whether a church registers depends on its denomination, not the town. 2 more name a national or statewide reach and are left out.
A National Register landmark since 2013
Jonathan Bourne Public Library, 19 Sandwich Road, Bourne.
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 Bourne? The Handbook →Hours are the survey’s yearly average. Check the library’s own site for today’s hours.
Jonathan Bourne Public Library
Bourne, Jonathan, Public Library was added to the National Register of Historic Places on Jan 14, 2013. It is significant for its architecture, education and social history at the local level. Its architecture is described as Late 19th Century Revival and Early 20th Century Revival and Colonial Revival.
The Jonathan Bourne Public Library (est. 1891) is a public library in Bourne, Massachusetts. Prior to 1891, the town lacked a public library, as it was a part of the town of Sandwich. The town of Bourne was incorporated on April 2, 1884.
More about the building →Ahead of most similar-size libraries on 3 of 7 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000 people across the U.S.
Jonathan Bourne Public Library serves 20,667 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000.
Every hour the doors are open, about 34 items go out
Fiscal year 2024. The library’s own count.
Almost half the print loans are kids’ books
96K print loans last year. The library didn’t report its e-book and e-audiobook loans.
Each of the 64K books and other items on the shelves went out about 1.5 times last year, on average.
Borrow from home with your card, plus research databases: courses, journals, genealogy and more.
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 Bourne last year.
For every $1 it spends, the library lends about $1.94 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Bourne cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $43. Operating budget $762K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $1.5M worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $762K 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 8,321 cardholders ÷ 12.
Libraries next door
Bourne ranks 5th of 7 for borrowing per resident. Tap a town to see its library.
| Town | Library | Loans per resident | Hours | Civic life |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Falmouth | North Falmouth Branch Library fine-free | 11.5 | 19 | — graded as part of its town |
| Falmouth | Falmouth Public Library fine-free | 11.5 | 96 | A |
| Sandwich | Sandwich Free Public Library fine-free | 6.6 | 48 | C |
| Marion | Elizabeth Taber Library fine-free | 6.3 | 46 | A− |
| Bourne | Jonathan Bourne Public Library fine-free | 4.6 | 54 | C |
| Plymouth | Plymouth Public Library fine-free | 4.2 | 87 | B− |
| Wareham | Wareham Free Library | 3.5 | 55 | C− |
| Buzzards Bay | None of its own | — | — | — graded as part of its town |
| Sagamore | None of its own | — | — | — graded as part of its town |
| Pocasset | None of its own | — | — | — graded as part of its town |
Loans = print + digital items borrowed in the library’s fiscal year, per person it serves. — = no library of its own, a county or regional system (its numbers cover many towns), or no report. Civic life: — = not graded (unincorporated places, whose nonprofits can’t be placed by mailing address, or towns with fewer than two of the three inputs).
What this data can and can’t tell you
From the Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024.
- Visits are a typical-week estimate. Jonathan Bourne Public Library counted one typical week and multiplied by 52, as the survey allows.
- Digital loans not reported. Massachusetts libraries often don’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 Bourne
Does Bourne have a public library?
Yes. Jonathan Bourne Public Library, 19 Sandwich Road, serves Bourne’s 20,667 residents (the survey’s count) and is open about 54 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Jonathan Bourne 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 Bourne’s library?
It logged 0.7 visits and lent 4.6 print items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3.1 visits for libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000 people.
What is Bourne’s civic life grade?
C Bourne is ahead of 30% of U.S. towns on civic life, #219 of 283 in Massachusetts. The grade combines library visits per resident, community nonprofits per 1,000 residents and the share of adults 25–44 in volunteering groups. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
Book talk
Reading, story times and the library in Bourne.
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. Building history: National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places; photo via Wikimedia Commons. “What your card is worth” uses typical retail prices and is an estimate, not an official figure.