Woodbridge Street Historic District · Photo: John Phelan · CC BY-SA 4.0South Hadley’s library logs 7.5 visits per resident, against a typical 3.1 for libraries its size
South Hadley Public Library serves South Hadley’s 18,046 residents from 2 locations. Last year it lent 141K print books and media and logged 135K visits.
The short version on South Hadley’s library
People come to South Hadley Public Library a lot
South Hadley Public Library logs 7.5 visits per resident, against a typical 3.1 for libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000 people, more than 92% of similar-size libraries. Borrowing is above typical too, at 7.8 print items per resident. How it compares ↓
Open about 66 hours a week
The main library is open about 66 hours a week, averaged over the year. Every hour the doors are open, about 33 items go out. The buildings ↓
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 South Hadley’s civic life grade
On library visits, community nonprofits and volunteering, South Hadley is ahead of 75% of U.S. towns, #94 of 283 in Massachusetts. Library visits hold the grade up; South Hadley’s count of community nonprofits pulls it down.
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 →
49 community nonprofits are registered in South Hadley
2.8 per 1,000 residents, against a U.S. town median of 3.7. The largest group: human services.
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 (13 here), since whether a church registers depends on its denomination, not the town.
10.5%
10.5% of South Hadley’s 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 South Hadley’s residents live; 2022.
Every hour the doors are open, about 33 items go out
Fiscal year 2024. The library’s own count.
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.
South Hadley Public Library serves 18,046 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000.
Books and media off the shelf
141K print loans last year. The library didn’t report its e-book and e-audiobook loans.
Each of the 70K books and other items on the shelves went out about 2 times last year, on average.
Borrow from home with your card, plus research databases: courses, journals, genealogy and more.
About 8 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.
children’s books and media borrowed per child under 18 in South Hadley last year.
2 places to borrow in South Hadley
South Hadley Public Library, 2 Canal Street, South Hadley.
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 South Hadley? The Handbook →Hours are the survey’s yearly average. Check the library’s own site for today’s hours.
Other libraries in South Hadley
For every $1 it spends, the library lends about $2.56 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average South Hadley cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $43. Operating budget $911K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $2.3M worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $911K 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 10,946 cardholders ÷ 12.
Libraries next door
South Hadley ranks 4th of 6 for borrowing per resident. Tap a town to see its library.
| Town | Library | Loans per resident | Hours | Civic life |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hadley | Hadley Public Library fine-free | 11.7 | 34 | A |
| Granby | Granby Free Public Library fine-free | 10.7 | 31 | B+ |
| Amherst Town | Jones Library, Inc. fine-free | 8.8 | 81 | A− |
| South Hadley | South Hadley Public Library fine-free | 7.8 | 66 | A− |
| Chicopee | Chicopee Public Library fine-free | 4.6 | 100 | D |
| Holyoke | Holyoke Public Library fine-free | 1.2 | 51 | C |
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 are a typical-week estimate. South Hadley Public Library counted one typical week and multiplied by 52, as the survey allows.
- 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 South Hadley
Does South Hadley have a public library?
Yes. South Hadley Public Library, 2 Canal Street, serves South Hadley’s 18,046 residents (the survey’s count) and is open about 66 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is South Hadley Public 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 South Hadley’s library?
It logged 7.5 visits and lent 7.8 print items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3.1 visits for libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000 people.
What is South Hadley’s civic life grade?
A− South Hadley is ahead of 75% of U.S. towns on civic life, #94 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 South Hadley.
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.