Northwest Harwich’s library runs 409 programs per 1,000 residents, against a typical 60 for libraries its size
Chase Library Assoc., Inc. serves 137 people in and around Northwest Harwich. Last year it lent 1,066 print books and media and logged 1,252 visits.
Northwest Harwich’s library, in brief
More library cards than residents
282 cards for 137 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 ↓
Seven times the programs of a typical library its size
Chase Library Assoc., Inc. ran 56 programs last year, about 1 a week. That’s 409 per 1,000 residents, against a typical 60. People show up: 353 attended. Kids & programs ↓
Open only about 10 hours a week
Chase Library Assoc., Inc. keeps short hours: about 10 a week, averaged over the year, so check its schedule before you go. Brooks Free Library in Harwich, next door, is open about 46 hours a week. The building ↓
Every town next door borrows more
Northwest Harwich’s library lends 7.8 items per resident. Each of the six neighboring towns with a library of its own lends more, led by Dennis at 31. Libraries next door ↓
A small-town library
Chase Library Assoc., Inc. serves 137 residents with about one full-time staff. It’s compared only with libraries serving under 2,500 people, because per-person numbers always look big in a small town. A year at the library ↓
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 Northwest Harwich’s civic life grade
Northwest Harwich 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 →
56 programs a year
Story times, clubs, classes and events, by who they’re for.
Programs last year by age group
Ahead of most similar-size libraries on 6 of 7 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving under 2,500 people across the U.S.
Chase Library Assoc., Inc. serves 137 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving under 2,500.
Every hour the doors are open, about 2 items go out
Fiscal year 2024. The library’s own count.
Books and media off the shelf
1,066 print loans last year. The library didn’t report its e-book and e-audiobook loans.
Each of the 7,140 books and other items on the shelves went out about 0.1 time last year, on average.
A National Register landmark since 2014
Chase Library Assoc., Inc., 7 Main St., West Harwich.
Hours are the survey’s yearly average. Check the library’s own site for today’s hours.
Chase Library
Chase Library was added to the National Register of Historic Places on Dec 29, 2014. It is significant for its architecture and social history at the local level.
Chase Library is the public library of West Harwich, Massachusetts. It is located in a small architecturally distinguished Colonial Revival building constructed in 1911.
More about the building →For every $1 it spends, the library lends about $1.19 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Northwest Harwich cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $54. Operating budget $18K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $21K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $18K 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 282 cardholders ÷ 12.
Libraries next door
Northwest Harwich ranks 7th of 7 for borrowing per resident. 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+ |
| Harwich Port | Harwich Port Library Assoc. fine-free | 18.0 | 13 | — graded as part of its town |
| Harwich | Brooks Free Library fine-free | 14.6 | 46 | A− |
| Harwich Center | Brooks Free Library fine-free | 14.6 | 46 | — graded as part of its town |
| Brewster | Brewster Ladies' Library fine-free | 13.8 | 40 | A |
| 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 |
| East Harwich | 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.
- 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 Northwest Harwich
Does Northwest Harwich have a public library?
Yes. Chase Library Assoc., Inc., 7 Main St., serves 137 people in and around Northwest Harwich (the survey’s count) and is open about 10 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Chase Library Assoc., Inc. fine-free?
Yes, no late fees (the library’s 2024 survey report).
How busy is Northwest Harwich’s library?
It logged 9.1 visits and lent 7.8 print items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3.5 visits for libraries serving under 2,500 people.
What is Northwest Harwich’s civic life grade?
Northwest Harwich 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 Northwest Harwich.
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. “What your card is worth” uses typical retail prices and is an estimate, not an official figure.