West Concord’s library logs 19 visits per resident, against a typical 3.1 for libraries its size
Concord Free Public Library serves 17,954 people in and around West Concord. Last year it lent 337K print books and media and logged 350K visits.
What West Concord’s library is like
West Concord uses its library more than almost any town its size
Concord Free Public Library logs 19 visits per resident, against a typical 3.1 for libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000 people, and lends 19 print items per resident against a typical 3.9. On both counts it beats 99% of similar-size libraries across the U.S. How it compares ↓
Four times the programs of a typical library its size
Concord Free Public Library ran 1,562 programs last year, about 30 a week. That’s 87 per 1,000 residents, against a typical 24. People show up: 42,000 attended. Kids & programs ↓
Kids borrow more here than almost anywhere
Children’s books and media are 48% of print loans, and kids’ borrowing per resident is higher than at 99% of similar-size libraries. Kids & programs ↓
Nearly everyone in West Concord has a card
16,625 cards for 17,954 people, or 93%. At the typical library serving 10,000 to 25,000 people, it’s 40%. How it compares ↓
West Concord invests in its library
Concord Free Public Library spends $154 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 West Concord’s civic life grade
West Concord 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 18 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.
Concord Free Public Library serves 17,954 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000.
Every hour the doors are open, about 46 items go out
Fiscal year 2024. The library’s own count.
Almost half the print loans are kids’ books
337K print loans last year. The library didn’t report its e-book and e-audiobook loans.
Each of the 231K books and other items on the shelves went out about 1.5 time last year, on average.
Borrow from home with your card, plus research databases: courses, journals, genealogy and more.
Find it
Loring N. Fowler Library, 1322 Main Street, Concord.
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 West Concord? 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 $1.95 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average West Concord cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $43. Operating budget $2.8M.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $5.4M worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $2.8M 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 16,625 cardholders ÷ 12.
What this data can and can’t tell you
From the Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024.
- Visits count everyone. West Concord’s 349,529 visits include people from nearby towns and summer visitors; the survey has no resident share.
- 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 West Concord
Does West Concord have a public library?
Yes. Concord Free Public Library, 1322 Main Street, serves 17,954 people in and around West Concord (the survey’s count) and is open about 42 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Concord Free 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 West Concord’s library?
It logged 19.5 visits and lent 18.8 print items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3.1 visits for libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000 people.
What is West Concord’s civic life grade?
West Concord 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 West Concord.
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.