Photo: Riverbend Trail · CC BY-SA 4.0West Newbury’s library lends 15 print items per resident, against a typical 3.8 for libraries its size
G. A. R. Memorial Library serves West Newbury’s 4,562 residents. Last year it lent 70K print books and media and logged 32K visits.
The short version on West Newbury’s library
West Newbury uses its library more than almost any town its size
G. A. R. Memorial Library logs 7 visits per resident, against a typical 3 for libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people, and lends 15 print items per resident against a typical 3.8. On both counts it beats 86% of similar-size libraries across the U.S. How it compares ↓
Four times the programs of a typical library its size
G. A. R. Memorial Library ran 577 programs last year, about 11 a week. That’s 126 per 1,000 residents, against a typical 34. People show up: 6,593 attended. Kids & programs ↓
Kids borrow more here than almost anywhere
Children’s books and media are 50% of print loans, and kids’ borrowing per resident is higher than at 98% of similar-size libraries. That works out to about 39 items per child in West Newbury last year. Kids & programs ↓
West Newbury out-borrows every town next door
At 15 loans per resident, West Newbury leads the seven towns here. The closest is Newburyport, at 13. Libraries next door ↓
Top 10% in Massachusetts for borrowing
West Newbury ranks #18 of 268 Massachusetts towns with a library of their own for items borrowed per resident. Print borrowing alone runs 15 items per resident, more than at 98% of similar-size libraries nationwide. 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 West Newbury’s civic life grade
On library visits, community nonprofits and volunteering, West Newbury is ahead of 92% of U.S. towns, #32 of 283 in Massachusetts. All three inputs are above most U.S. towns; library visits rank 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 →
30 community nonprofits are registered in West Newbury
6.5 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 (4 here), since whether a church registers depends on its denomination, not the town. 1 more name a national or statewide reach and are left out.
10.0%
10.0% of West Newbury’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 West Newbury’s residents live; 2022.
About 7 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 West Newbury last year.
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.
G. A. R. Memorial Library serves 4,562 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000.
Every hour the doors are open, about 32 items go out
Fiscal year 2024. The library’s own count.
More than half the print loans are kids’ books
70K print loans last year. The library didn’t report its e-book and e-audiobook loans.
Each of the 44K 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.
Find it
G. A. R. Memorial Library, 490 Main St., West Newbury.
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 Newbury? 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 $1.90 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average West Newbury cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $43. Operating budget $565K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $1.1M worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $565K 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 3,858 cardholders ÷ 12.
Libraries next door
West Newbury borrows the most per resident of the 7 towns here. Tap a town to see its library.
| Town | Library | Loans per resident | Hours | Civic life |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Newbury | G. A. R. Memorial Library fine-free | 15.2 | 42 | A |
| Newburyport | Newburyport Public Library fine-free | 12.5 | 60 | A+ |
| Amesbury | Amesbury Public Library fine-free | 7.2 | 49 | D− |
| Newbury | Newbury Town Library fine-free | 6.8 | 35 | A− |
| Merrimac | Merrimac Public Library fine-free | 6.1 | 37 | C+ |
| Groveland | Langley Adams Library fine-free | 4.6 | 38 | B |
| Haverhill | Haverhill Public Library fine-free | 3.0 | 61 | 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.
- 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 Newbury
Does West Newbury have a public library?
Yes. G. A. R. Memorial Library, 490 Main St., serves West Newbury’s 4,562 residents (the survey’s count) and is open about 42 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is G. A. R. Memorial 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 Newbury’s library?
It logged 7.0 visits and lent 15.2 print items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3 visits for libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people.
What is West Newbury’s civic life grade?
A West Newbury is ahead of 92% of U.S. towns on civic life, #32 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 West Newbury.
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.