Photo: H.L.I.T. · CC BY 2.0Cranberry Isles’ library runs 466 programs per 1,000 residents, against a typical 60 for libraries its size
Islesford Library serves Cranberry Isles’s 161 residents. Last year it lent 1,369 books, movies and e-books and logged 1,827 visits.
What Cranberry Isles’s library is like
More library cards than residents
443 cards for 161 people. Cards held by people from outside the service area count too, so the total can pass the population. At the typical library serving under 2,500 people, it’s 54%. How it compares ↓
Mostly paid for by gifts, not taxes
66% of the library’s income comes from gifts, endowments, fees and other sources, not taxes. Local taxes cover 34%. What your card is worth ↓
Eight times the programs of a typical library its size
Islesford Library ran 75 programs last year, about 1 a week. That’s 466 per 1,000 residents, against a typical 60. People show up: 497 attended. Kids & programs ↓
Open only about 13 hours a week
Islesford Library keeps short hours: about 13 a week, averaged over the year, so check its schedule before you go. Northeast Harbor Library in Mount Desert, next door, is open about 53 hours a week. The buildings ↓
More than half the print loans are for kids
Children’s books and media are 70% of print loans, and kids’ borrowing per resident is higher than at 92% of similar-size libraries. 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 Cranberry Isles’ civic life grade
Cranberry Isles 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 →
75 programs a year
Story times, clubs, classes and events, by who they’re for.
Programs last year by age group
Ahead of most similar-size libraries on 7 of 8 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving under 2,500 people across the U.S.
Islesford Library serves 161 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.
More than half the print loans are kids’ books
1,369 loans last year: print, kids’ and digital.
Each of the 7,317 books and other items on the shelves went out about 0.2 time last year, on average.
2 places to borrow in Cranberry Isles
Islesford Library, 10 Mosswood Road, Islesford.
No late fees. Research databases: courses, journals, genealogy.
New in Cranberry Isles? The Handbook →Hours are the survey’s yearly average. Check the library’s own site for today’s hours.
Other libraries in Cranberry Isles
For every $1 it spends, the library lends about $1.89 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Cranberry Isles cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $54. Operating budget $12K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $23K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $12K 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 443 cardholders ÷ 12.
Libraries next door
Cranberry Isles ranks 5th of 6 for borrowing per resident. Tap a town to see its library.
| Town | Library | Loans per resident | Hours | Civic life |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southwest Harbor | Southwest Harbor Public Library fine-free | 31.7 | 43 | A+ |
| Mount Desert | Northeast Harbor Library fine-free | 18.7 | 53 | A+ |
| Northeast Harbor | Northeast Harbor Library fine-free | 18.7 | 53 | — under 1,000 residents |
| Frenchboro | Frenchboro Public Library fine-free | 18.3 | — | — under 1,000 residents |
| Cranberry Isles | Islesford Library fine-free | 8.5 | 13 | — under 1,000 residents |
| Winter Harbor | Winter Harbor Public Library fine-free | 7.4 | 20 | — under 1,000 residents |
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.
- The library’s own count. Libraries report their own visits, loans and programs. A library that didn’t respond keeps its address and hours here, with no numbers.
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 Cranberry Isles
Does Cranberry Isles have a public library?
Yes. Islesford Library, 10 Mosswood Road, serves Cranberry Isles’ 161 residents (the survey’s count) and is open about 13 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Islesford Library fine-free?
Yes, no late fees (the library’s 2024 survey report).
How busy is Cranberry Isles’ library?
It logged 11.3 visits and lent 8.5 items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3.5 visits for libraries serving under 2,500 people.
What is Cranberry Isles’ civic life grade?
Cranberry Isles 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 Cranberry Isles.
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.