Bremen Town Hall, Former · Photo: User:Magicpiano · CC BY-SA 4.0Bremen’s library runs 117 programs per 1,000 residents, against a typical 60 for libraries its size
Bremen Public Library serves Bremen’s 853 residents. Last year it lent 2,588 print books and media and logged 3,731 visits.
The short version on Bremen’s library
Mostly paid for by gifts, not taxes
78% of the library’s income comes from gifts, endowments, fees and other sources, not taxes. Local taxes cover 22%. What your card is worth ↓
Nearly everyone in Bremen has a card
835 cards for 853 people, or 98%. At the typical library serving under 2,500 people, it’s 54%. How it compares ↓
A small-town library
Bremen Public Library serves 853 residents with about one full-time staff, open about 23 hours a week. 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 ↓
Most programs are for young children
70% of the 100 programs last year were for ages 11 and under, including 39 for ages 0–5. Kids & programs ↓
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 Bremen’s civic life grade
Bremen 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 →
Ahead of most similar-size libraries on 5 of 7 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving under 2,500 people across the U.S.
Bremen Public Library serves 853 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
2,588 print loans last year. The library didn’t report its e-book and e-audiobook loans.
Each of the 11K books and other items on the shelves went out about 0.2 time last year, on average.
Borrow from home with your card, plus research databases: courses, journals, genealogy and more.
About 1 kids’ program 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 Bremen last year.
Find it
Bremen Public Library, 204 Waldoboro Rd, Bremen.
No late fees. E-books and audiobooks from home. Research databases: courses, journals, genealogy.
New in Bremen? The Handbook →Hours are the survey’s yearly average. Check the library’s own site for today’s hours.
What a library card is worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Bremen cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $54. Operating budget $80K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $47K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $80K 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 835 cardholders ÷ 12.
Libraries next door
Bremen ranks 2nd of 5 for borrowing per resident. Tap a town to see its library.
| Town | Library | Loans per resident | Hours | Civic life |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Damariscotta | Skidompha Public Library fine-free | 11.0 | 45 | A+ |
| Bremen | Bremen Public Library fine-free | 3.0 | 23 | — under 1,000 residents |
| Waldoboro | Waldoboro Public Library | 3.0 | 32 | B− |
| Bristol | Bristol Area Library | 3.0 | 26 | B+ |
| Friendship | Friendship Public Library fine-free | 2.5 | 10 | 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. The library didn’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 Bremen
Does Bremen have a public library?
Yes. Bremen Public Library, 204 Waldoboro Rd, serves Bremen’s 853 residents (the survey’s count) and is open about 23 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Bremen 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 Bremen’s library?
It logged 4.4 visits and lent 3.0 print items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3.5 visits for libraries serving under 2,500 people.
What is Bremen’s civic life grade?
Bremen 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 Bremen.
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.