Photo: John Phelan · CC BY-SA 4.0Greene’s library runs 15 programs per 1,000 residents, against a typical 34 for libraries its size
Julia Adams Morse Memorial Library serves Greene’s 4,420 residents. Last year it lent 9,775 print books and media and logged 6,953 visits.
Greene’s library, in brief
Below typical on every measure
Against libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people, Julia Adams Morse Memorial Library sits below the middle on all six per-resident measures we compare, and in the bottom 30% on five. How it compares ↓
Every town next door borrows more
Greene’s library lends 2.2 items per resident. Each of the three neighboring towns with a library of its own lends more, led by Auburn at 5.2. Libraries next door ↓
Most programs are for young children
75% of the 67 programs last year were for ages 11 and under, including 3 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.
What’s behind Greene’s civic life grade
On library visits, community nonprofits and volunteering, Greene is ahead of 25% of U.S. towns, #129 of 143 in Maine. The share of younger adults in volunteering groups holds the grade up; library visits pull it down.
Most U.S. towns with similar household incomes ($74K–$123K) score higher, so income alone doesn’t account for it.
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 →
9 community nonprofits are registered in Greene
2.0 per 1,000 residents, against a U.S. town median of 3.7. The largest group: education.
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 (1 here), since whether a church registers depends on its denomination, not the town.
9.1%
9.1% of Greene’s Facebook users aged 25–44 belong to a volunteering or activism group, against 9.0% in the typical Maine 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 Greene’s residents live; 2022.
Below most similar-size libraries on all 7 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people across the U.S.
Julia Adams Morse Memorial Library serves 4,420 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000.
Every hour the doors are open, about 6 items go out
Fiscal year 2024. The library’s own count.
Almost half the print loans are kids’ books
9,775 print loans last year. The library didn’t report its e-book and e-audiobook loans.
Each of the 19K books and other items on the shelves went out about 0.5 time last year, on average.
Borrow from home with your card, plus research databases: courses, journals, genealogy and more.
67 programs a year
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 Greene last year.
Find it
Julia Adams Morse Memorial Library, 105 Main Street, Greene.
No late fees. E-books and audiobooks from home. Research databases: courses, journals, genealogy.
New in Greene? 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 $2.11 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Greene cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $43. Operating budget $75K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $158K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $75K 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 1,288 cardholders ÷ 12.
Libraries next door
Greene ranks 4th of 4 for borrowing per resident. Tap a town to see its library.
| Town | Library | Loans per resident | Hours | Civic life |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Auburn | Auburn Public Library fine-free | 5.2 | 53 | B |
| Lewiston | Lewiston Public Library fine-free | 2.3 | 50 | C |
| Turner | Turner Public Library fine-free | 2.2 | 24 | C |
| Greene | Julia Adams Morse Memorial Library fine-free | 2.2 | 33 | C |
| Wales | None of its own | — | — | B |
| Leeds | None of its own | — | — | B+ |
| Sabattus | None of its own | — | — | B |
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 Greene
Does Greene have a public library?
Yes. Julia Adams Morse Memorial Library, 105 Main Street, serves Greene’s 4,420 residents (the survey’s count) and is open about 33 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Julia Adams Morse 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 Greene’s library?
It logged 1.6 visits and lent 2.2 print items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3 visits for libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people.
What is Greene’s civic life grade?
C Greene is ahead of 25% of U.S. towns on civic life, #129 of 143 in Maine. 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 Greene.
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.