Housatonic’s library lends 13 print items per resident, against a typical 3.8 for libraries its size
Mason Library serves 7,214 people in and around Housatonic. Last year it lent 90K print books and media and logged 66K visits.
Housatonic’s library, in brief
Housatonic uses its library more than almost any town its size
Mason Library logs 9.1 visits per resident, against a typical 3 for libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people, and lends 13 print items per resident against a typical 3.8. On both counts it beats 92% of similar-size libraries across the U.S. How it compares ↓
Open only about 10 hours a week
Mason Library keeps short hours: about 10 a week, averaged over the year, so check its schedule before you go. Mason Library in Great Barrington, next door, is open about 51 hours a week. The building ↓
Programs are almost all for children
86% of the 162 programs last year were for ages 11 and under, including about 2.3 a week for ages 0–5. Kids & programs ↓
More library cards than residents
7,315 cards for 7,214 people. Cards held by people from outside the service area count too, so the total can pass the population. At the typical library serving 2,500 to 10,000 people, it’s 42%. How it compares ↓
Kids borrow more here than almost anywhere
Children’s books and media are 45% of print loans, and kids’ borrowing per resident is higher than at 94% of similar-size libraries. Kids & programs ↓
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 Housatonic’s civic life grade
Housatonic 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 3 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.
Ahead of most similar-size libraries on 5 of 7 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people across the U.S.
Mason Library serves 7,214 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000.
Every hour the doors are open, about 29 items go out
Fiscal year 2024. The library’s own count.
Almost half the print loans are kids’ books
90K print loans last year. The library didn’t report its e-book and e-audiobook loans.
Each of the 83K books and other items on the shelves went out about 1.1 time last year, on average.
Borrow from home with your card, plus research databases: courses, journals, genealogy and more.
A National Register landmark since 2014
Ramsdell Public Library, 1087 Main Street, Housatonic.
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 Housatonic? The Handbook →Hours are the survey’s yearly average. Check the library’s own site for today’s hours.
Ramsdell Public Library
Ramsdell Public Library was added to the National Register of Historic Places on Jul 25, 2014. It is significant for its architecture, town planning and social history at the local level.
Ramsdell Public Library is one of two public library buildings of Great Barrington, Massachusetts. It is located at 1087 Main Street in the Housatonic village, in a two-story Beaux Arts building erected c. 1908. The building was a gift to the town by T. Ellis Ramsdell, fulfilling a bequest by his father Theodore, owner of the Monument Mills.
More about the building →For every $1 it spends, the library lends about $2.19 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Housatonic cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $43. Operating budget $635K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $1.4M worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $635K 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 7,315 cardholders ÷ 12.
Libraries next door
Housatonic ranks 2nd of 3 for borrowing per resident. Tap a town to see its library.
| Town | Library | Loans per resident | Hours | Civic life |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stockbridge | Stockbridge Library Association fine-free | 13.7 | 42 | A+ |
| Housatonic | Ramsdell Public Library fine-free | 12.5 | 10 | — graded as part of its town |
| Great Barrington | Mason Library fine-free | 12.5 | 51 | A |
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.
- 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 Housatonic
Does Housatonic have a public library?
Yes. Mason Library, 1087 Main Street, serves 7,214 people in and around Housatonic (the survey’s count) and is open about 10 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Mason 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 Housatonic’s library?
It logged 9.1 visits and lent 12.5 print items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3 visits for libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people.
What is Housatonic’s civic life grade?
Housatonic 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 Housatonic.
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.