Photo: formulanone from Huntsville, United States · CC BY-SA 2.0Hallowell’s library logs 11 visits per resident, against a typical 3 for libraries its size
Hubbard Free Library serves Hallowell’s 2,613 residents. Last year it lent 11K print books and media and logged 28K visits.
Hallowell’s library, in brief
Mostly paid for by gifts, not taxes
60% of the library’s income comes from gifts, endowments, fees and other sources, not taxes. Local taxes cover 40%. What your card is worth ↓
Most programs are for young children
79% of the 232 programs last year were for ages 11 and under, including 29 for ages 0–5. Kids & programs ↓
Top 10% in Maine for library use
Hallowell ranks #7 of 97 Maine towns with a library of their own for visits per resident. That’s 11 visits per resident, more than at 94% of similar-size libraries nationwide. How it compares ↓
Programs draw a crowd
4,898 people came to the library’s 232 programs last year: 1.9 per resident, against a typical 0.5, more than at 94% of similar-size libraries. Kids & programs ↓
A big collection for the borrowing it gets
Hubbard Free Library holds 27,000 books and other items, but the average item went out less than once last year. What people borrow ↓
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 Hallowell’s civic life grade
On library visits, community nonprofits and volunteering, Hallowell is among the top 1% of U.S. towns, #6 of 143 in Maine. All three inputs are above most U.S. towns; Hallowell’s count of community nonprofits ranks 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 →
27 community nonprofits are registered in Hallowell
10.4 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 (1 here), since whether a church registers depends on its denomination, not the town.
12.0%
12.0% of Hallowell’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 Hallowell’s residents live; 2022.
About 4 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 Hallowell 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.
Hubbard Free Library serves 2,613 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000.
Every hour the doors are open, about 9 items go out
Fiscal year 2024. The library’s own count.
Almost half the print loans are kids’ books
11K print loans last year. The library didn’t report its e-book and e-audiobook loans.
Each of the 27K books and other items on the shelves went out about 0.4 time last year, on average.
Borrow from home with your card, plus research databases: courses, journals, genealogy and more.
Find it
Hubbard Free Library, 115 Second Street, Hallowell.
No late fees. E-books and audiobooks from home. Research databases: courses, journals, genealogy.
New in Hallowell? 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 $1.35 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Hallowell cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $43. Operating budget $158K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $214K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $158K 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 1,435 cardholders ÷ 12.
Libraries next door
Who has a library of their own, and how much each town borrows. Tap a town to see its library.
| Town | Library | Loans per resident | Hours | Civic life |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Augusta | Lithgow Public Library fine-free | 6.2 | 53 | A− |
| Hallowell | Hubbard Free Library fine-free | 4.4 | 25 | A+ |
| Farmingdale | None of its own | — | — | C+ |
| Manchester | None of its own | — | — | A− |
| Chelsea | None of its own | — | — | 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 Hallowell
Does Hallowell have a public library?
Yes. Hubbard Free Library, 115 Second Street, serves Hallowell’s 2,613 residents (the survey’s count) and is open about 25 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Hubbard Free 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 Hallowell’s library?
It logged 10.6 visits and lent 4.4 print items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3 visits for libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people.
What is Hallowell’s civic life grade?
A+ Hallowell is among the top 1% of U.S. towns on civic life, #6 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 Hallowell.
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.