Littleton Common’s library lends 16 print items per resident, against a typical 3.9 for libraries its size
Reuben Hoar Library serves 10,139 people in and around Littleton Common. Last year it lent 160K print books and media and logged 73K visits.
The short version on Littleton Common’s library
More than half the print loans are for kids
Children’s books and media are 56% of print loans, and kids’ borrowing per resident is higher than at 98% of similar-size libraries. Kids & programs ↓
Littleton Common uses its library more than almost any town its size
Reuben Hoar Library logs 7.2 visits per resident, against a typical 3.1 for libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000 people, and lends 16 print items per resident against a typical 3.9. On both counts it beats 91% of similar-size libraries across the U.S. How it compares ↓
Twice the programs of a typical library its size
Reuben Hoar Library ran 605 programs last year, about 12 a week. That’s 60 per 1,000 residents, against a typical 24. Kids & programs ↓
Reuben Hoar Library serves more than Littleton Common
The library’s service area covers 10,139 people in and around Littleton Common, so its per-resident numbers are measured against that wider population. How it compares ↓
Littleton Common invests in its library
Reuben Hoar Library spends $99 per resident a year, about twice the typical $43 for a library its size. Almost all of it (88%) comes from local taxes. What your card is worth ↓
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 Littleton Common’s civic life grade
Littleton Common 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 6 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 all 7 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000 people across the U.S.
Reuben Hoar Library serves 10,139 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000.
Every hour the doors are open, about 67 items go out
Fiscal year 2024. The library’s own count.
More than half the print loans are kids’ books
160K print loans last year. The library didn’t report its e-book and e-audiobook loans.
Each of the 86K books and other items on the shelves went out about 1.9 times last year, on average.
Borrow from home with your card, plus research databases: courses, journals, genealogy and more.
Find it
Reuben Hoar Library, 35 Shattuck St., Littleton.
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 Littleton Common? The Handbook →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 $2.36 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Littleton Common cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $43. Operating budget $1M.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $2.4M worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $1M 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 6,314 cardholders ÷ 12.
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 Littleton Common
Does Littleton Common have a public library?
Yes. Reuben Hoar Library, 35 Shattuck St., serves 10,139 people in and around Littleton Common (the survey’s count) and is open about 46 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Reuben Hoar 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 Littleton Common’s library?
It logged 7.2 visits and lent 15.8 print items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3.1 visits for libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000 people.
What is Littleton Common’s civic life grade?
Littleton Common 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 Littleton Common.
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.