West Dennis Graded School · Photo: Thomas Kelley from Boston, MA · CC BY-SA 2.0Dennis’ library lends 31 print items per resident, against a typical 3.9 for libraries its size
Dennis Memorial Library Assoc. serves Dennis’s 2,324 residents. Last year it lent 72K print books and media and logged 39K visits.
Dennis’s library, in brief
More library cards than residents
3,041 cards for 2,324 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 ↓
Dennis uses its library more than almost any town its size
Dennis Memorial Library Assoc. logs 17 visits per resident, against a typical 3.5 for libraries serving under 2,500 people, and lends 31 print items per resident against a typical 3.9. On both counts it beats 96% of similar-size libraries across the U.S. How it compares ↓
Nine times the programs of a typical library its size
Dennis Memorial Library Assoc. ran 1,316 programs last year, about 25 a week. That’s 566 per 1,000 residents, against a typical 60. People show up: 8,116 attended. Kids & programs ↓
Gifts and endowments pay a real share
41% of the library’s income comes from gifts, endowments, fees and other sources, not taxes. Local taxes cover 56%. What your card is worth ↓
Dennis out-borrows every town next door
At 31 loans per resident, Dennis leads the nine towns here. The closest is East Dennis, at 23. Libraries next door ↓
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 Dennis’ civic life grade
On community nonprofits and volunteering, Dennis is ahead of 72% of U.S. towns, #102 of 283 in Massachusetts. Dennis is graded on two of the three inputs. Both inputs are above most U.S. towns; Dennis’ count of community nonprofits ranks highest.
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 →
77 community nonprofits are registered in Dennis
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 (6 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.
8.0%
8.0% of Dennis’ Facebook users aged 25–44 belong to a volunteering or activism group, against 7.9% in the typical Massachusetts town and 7.5% nationally.
Volunteering: Social Capital Atlas (Opportunity Insights), from data by Meta Platforms, Inc.; Chetty et al., Nature 2022. ZIP-code figures, weighted by where Dennis’ residents live; 2022.
1,316 programs a year
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 Dennis last year.
Ahead of most similar-size libraries on all 7 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving under 2,500 people across the U.S.
Dennis Memorial Library Assoc. serves 2,324 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving under 2,500.
Every hour the doors are open, about 41 items go out
Fiscal year 2024. The library’s own count.
Books and media off the shelf
72K print loans last year. The library didn’t report its e-book and e-audiobook loans.
Each of the 23K books and other items on the shelves went out about 3.2 times last year, on average.
Borrow from home with your card, plus research databases: courses, journals, genealogy and more.
5 places to borrow in Dennis
Dennis Memorial Library Assoc., 1020 Old Bass River Rd., Dennis.
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 Dennis? The Handbook →Hours are the survey’s yearly average. Check the library’s own site for today’s hours.
Other libraries in Dennis
For every $1 it spends, the library lends about $8.30 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Dennis cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $54. Operating budget $158K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $1.3M worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $158K 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 3,041 cardholders ÷ 12.
Libraries next door
Dennis borrows the most per resident of the 9 towns here. Tap a town to see its library.
| Town | Library | Loans per resident | Hours | Civic life |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dennis | Dennis Memorial Library Assoc. fine-free | 31.1 | 34 | B+ |
| East Dennis | Jacob Sears Memorial Library fine-free | 23.5 | 95 | — graded as part of its town |
| Harwich | Brooks Free Library fine-free | 14.6 | 46 | A− |
| Brewster | Brewster Ladies' Library fine-free | 13.8 | 40 | A |
| West Dennis | West Dennis Free Public Library fine-free | 9.6 | 23 | — graded as part of its town |
| Dennis Port | Dennis Public Library | 7.9 | 37 | — graded as part of its town |
| Northwest Harwich | Chase Library Assoc., Inc. fine-free | 7.8 | 10 | — graded as part of its town |
| Yarmouth | Yarmouth Town Libraries fine-free | 5.1 | 76 | B |
| South Yarmouth | Yarmouth Town Libraries fine-free | 5.1 | 76 | — graded as part of its town |
| Yarmouth Port | None of its own | — | — | — graded as part of its town |
| South Dennis | 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 count everyone. Dennis’ 38,534 visits include people from nearby towns and summer visitors; the survey has no resident share.
- 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 Dennis
Does Dennis have a public library?
Yes. Dennis Memorial Library Assoc., 1020 Old Bass River Rd., serves Dennis’ 2,324 residents (the survey’s count) and is open about 34 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Dennis Memorial Library Assoc. 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 Dennis’ library?
It logged 16.6 visits and lent 31.1 print items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3.5 visits for libraries serving under 2,500 people.
What is Dennis’ civic life grade?
B+ Dennis is ahead of 72% of U.S. towns on civic life, #102 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 Dennis.
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.