North Lakeville’s library lends 6.4 print items per resident, against a typical 3.9 for libraries its size
Lakeville Free Public Library serves 11,895 people in and around North Lakeville. Last year it lent 76K print books and media and logged 43K visits.
The short version on North Lakeville’s library
Above typical on every measure
Against libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000 people, Lakeville Free Public Library is above the middle on all six per-resident measures we compare, with three in the top 30%. No single number stands out, and none lags far behind. How it compares ↓
North Lakeville out-borrows every town next door
At 6.4 loans per resident, North Lakeville leads the five towns here. The closest is Lakeville, at 6.4. Libraries next door ↓
Lakeville Free Public Library serves more than North Lakeville
The library’s service area covers 11,895 people in and around North Lakeville, so its per-resident numbers are measured against that wider population. 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 North Lakeville’s civic life grade
North Lakeville 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 →
Ahead of most similar-size libraries on 6 of 7 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000 people across the U.S.
Lakeville Free Public Library serves 11,895 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000.
Every hour the doors are open, about 37 items go out
Fiscal year 2024. The library’s own count.
Almost half the print loans are kids’ books
76K print loans last year. The library didn’t report its e-book and e-audiobook loans.
Each of the 49K books and other items on the shelves went out about 1.6 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.
Find it
Lakeville Free Public Library, 4 Precinct St., Lakeville.
E-books and audiobooks from home. Loans renew on their own if no one’s waiting. Research databases: courses, journals, genealogy.
New in North Lakeville? 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 $2.50 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average North Lakeville cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $43. Operating budget $483K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $1.2M worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $483K budget.
Late fines apply to some overdue items.
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 5,367 cardholders ÷ 12.
Libraries next door
North Lakeville borrows the most per resident of the 5 towns here. Tap a town to see its library.
| Town | Library | Loans per resident | Hours | Civic life |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Lakeville | Lakeville Free Public Library | 6.4 | 40 | — graded as part of its town |
| Lakeville | Lakeville Free Public Library | 6.4 | 40 | B |
| Middleborough | Middleborough Public Library fine-free | 4.8 | 51 | C− |
| Middleborough Center | Middleborough Public Library fine-free | 4.8 | 51 | — graded as part of its town |
| Taunton | Taunton Public Library | 1.4 | 63 | D |
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 North Lakeville
Does North Lakeville have a public library?
Yes. Lakeville Free Public Library, 4 Precinct St., serves 11,895 people in and around North Lakeville (the survey’s count) and is open about 40 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Lakeville Free Public Library fine-free? Does it lend e-books?
It charges late fines on some overdue items, and it lends e-books and audiobooks with a card (the library’s 2024 survey report).
How busy is North Lakeville’s library?
It logged 3.6 visits and lent 6.4 print items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3.1 visits for libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000 people.
What is North Lakeville’s civic life grade?
North Lakeville 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 North Lakeville.
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.