Photo: Dougtone · CC BY-SA 2.0St. George’s library runs 410 programs per 1,000 residents, against a typical 34 for libraries its size
Jackson Memorial Library serves St. George’s 2,610 residents. Last year it lent 10K books, movies and e-books and logged 16K visits.
St. George’s library, in brief
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 ↓
12 times the programs of a typical library its size
Jackson Memorial Library ran 1,069 programs last year, about 21 a week. That’s 410 per 1,000 residents, against a typical 34. People show up: 5,054 attended. 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 St. George’s civic life grade
On library visits, community nonprofits and volunteering, St. George is ahead of 96% of U.S. towns, #14 of 143 in Maine. All three inputs are above most U.S. towns; the share of younger adults in volunteering groups 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 →
16 community nonprofits are registered in St. George
6.1 per 1,000 residents, against a U.S. town median of 3.7. The largest group: civic groups, clubs & veterans.
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 (2 here), since whether a church registers depends on its denomination, not the town.
18.4%
18.4% of St. George’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 St. George’s residents live; 2022.
About 12 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 St. George last year.
Ahead of most similar-size libraries on 5 of 8 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people across the U.S.
Jackson Memorial Library serves 2,610 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.
Mostly books and media off the shelf
10K loans last year: print, kids’ and digital.
Each of the 17K books and other items on the shelves went out about 0.5 time last year, on average.
2,368 e-books, e-audiobooks and streams last year. Borrow from home with your card, plus research databases: courses, journals, genealogy and more.
Find it
Jackson Memorial Library, 71 Main Street, Tenants Harbor.
No late fees. E-books and audiobooks from home. Research databases: courses, journals, genealogy.
New in St. George? 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 $1.44 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average St. George cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $43. Operating budget $164K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $236K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $164K 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 2,073 cardholders ÷ 12.
Libraries next door
St. George ranks 2nd of 6 for borrowing per resident. Tap a town to see its library.
| Town | Library | Loans per resident | Hours | Civic life |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monhegan plantation | Monhegan Memorial Library | 29.7 | 16 | — under 1,000 residents |
| St. George | Jackson Memorial Library fine-free | 3.9 | 34 | A+ |
| Bristol | Bristol Area Library | 3.0 | 26 | B+ |
| Friendship | Friendship Public Library fine-free | 2.5 | 10 | C+ |
| South Thomaston | South Thomaston Public Library fine-free | 1.6 | 23 | A |
| Cushing | Cushing Public Library fine-free | 1.1 | 20 | D |
| Matinicus Isle plantation | None of its own | — | — | — 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 St. George
Does St. George have a public library?
Yes. Jackson Memorial Library, 71 Main Street, serves St. George’s 2,610 residents (the survey’s count) and is open about 34 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Jackson 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 St. George’s library?
It logged 6.0 visits and lent 3.9 items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3 visits for libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people.
What is St. George’s civic life grade?
A+ St. George is ahead of 96% of U.S. towns on civic life, #14 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 St. George.
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.