West Chop Club Historic District · Photo: John Phelan · CC BY 3.0Tisbury’s library lends 14 print items per resident, against a typical 3.8 for libraries its size
Vineyard Haven Public Library serves Tisbury’s 4,886 residents. Last year it lent 70K print books and media and logged 45K visits.
The short version on Tisbury’s library
Tisbury uses its library more than almost any town its size
Vineyard Haven Public Library logs 9.2 visits per resident, against a typical 3 for libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people, and lends 14 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 ↓
Nearly everyone in Tisbury has a card
4,788 cards for 4,886 people, or 98%. 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 38% of print loans, and kids’ borrowing per resident is higher than at 93% of similar-size libraries. That works out to about 35 items per child in Tisbury last year. Kids & programs ↓
Top 10% in Massachusetts for borrowing
Tisbury ranks #24 of 268 Massachusetts towns with a library of their own for items borrowed per resident. Print borrowing alone runs 14 items per resident, more than at 97% of similar-size libraries nationwide. How it compares ↓
Tisbury invests in its library
Vineyard Haven Public Library spends $150 per resident a year, about four times the typical $43 for a library its size. Almost all of it (91%) 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 Tisbury’s civic life grade
On library visits and community nonprofits, Tisbury is among the top 1% of U.S. towns, #2 of 283 in Massachusetts. Tisbury is graded on two of the three inputs. Both inputs put Tisbury near the top nationally; Tisbury’s count of community nonprofits ranks highest.
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 →
60 community nonprofits are registered in Tisbury
12.3 per 1,000 residents, against a U.S. town median of 3.7. The largest group: arts & culture.
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 (6 here), since whether a church registers depends on its denomination, not the town.
Books and media off the shelf
70K print loans last year. The library didn’t report its e-book and e-audiobook loans.
Each of the 59K books and other items on the shelves went out about 1.2 time last year, on average.
Borrow from home with your card, plus research databases: courses, journals, genealogy and more.
Ahead of most similar-size libraries on all 7 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people across the U.S.
Vineyard Haven Public Library serves 4,886 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000.
Every hour the doors are open, about 31 items go out
Fiscal year 2024. The library’s own count.
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.
children’s books and media borrowed per child under 18 in Tisbury last year.
Find it
Vineyard Haven Public Library, 200 Main Street, Vineyard Haven.
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 Tisbury? 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 $1.56 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Tisbury cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $43. Operating budget $735K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $1.1M worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $735K 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 4,788 cardholders ÷ 12.
Libraries next door
Tisbury ranks 3rd of 4 for borrowing per resident. Tap a town to see its library.
| Town | Library | Loans per resident | Hours | Civic life |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Tisbury | West Tisbury Free Public Library fine-free | 34.6 | 51 | A+ |
| Gosnold | Cuttyhunk Public Library fine-free | 24.3 | — | — under 1,000 residents |
| Tisbury | Vineyard Haven Public Library fine-free | 14.3 | 44 | A+ |
| Oak Bluffs | Oak Bluffs Public Library fine-free | 13.8 | 38 | 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 Tisbury
Does Tisbury have a public library?
Yes. Vineyard Haven Public Library, 200 Main Street, serves Tisbury’s 4,886 residents (the survey’s count) and is open about 44 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Vineyard Haven 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 Tisbury’s library?
It logged 9.2 visits and lent 14.3 print items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3 visits for libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people.
What is Tisbury’s civic life grade?
A+ Tisbury is among the top 1% of U.S. towns on civic life, #2 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 Tisbury.
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.