Fostoria’s library lends 7.2 print items per resident, against a typical 3.9 for libraries its size
Watertown Township Library serves 2,091 people in and around Fostoria. Last year it lent 15K print books and media and logged 2,463 visits.
What Fostoria’s library is like
People borrow more than they stay
Borrowing per resident is higher than at 76% of similar-size libraries, but visits are lower than at 89%. People come in, pick up their books and go. How it compares ↓
Few programs for a library this size
Watertown Township Library offered 8 programs last year, 3.8 per 1,000 residents against a typical 60. Kids & programs ↓
A small-town library
Watertown Township Library serves 2,091 residents with about one full-time staff, open about 28 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 ↓
Watertown Township Library serves more than Fostoria
The library’s service area covers 2,091 people in and around Fostoria, so its per-resident numbers are measured against that wider population. How it compares ↓
Runs on less money than most
Watertown Township Library spends $11 per resident, less than 97% of similar-size libraries (typical: $54). What your card is worth ↓
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 Fostoria’s civic life grade
Fostoria 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 2 of 7 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving under 2,500 people across the U.S.
Watertown Township Library serves 2,091 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving under 2,500.
Every hour the doors are open, about 10 items go out
Fiscal year 2024. The library’s own count.
Books and media off the shelf
15K print loans last year. The library didn’t report its e-book and e-audiobook loans.
Each of the 16K books and other items on the shelves went out about 0.9 time last year, on average.
Borrow from home with your card, plus research databases: courses, journals, genealogy and more.
8 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.
Find it
Watertown Township Library, 9405 Foster Street, Fostoria.
No late fees. E-books and audiobooks from home. Research databases: courses, journals, genealogy.
New in Fostoria? 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 $9.90 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Fostoria cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $54. Operating budget $23K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $233K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $23K 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 811 cardholders ÷ 12.
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 Fostoria
Does Fostoria have a public library?
Yes. Watertown Township Library, 9405 Foster Street, serves 2,091 people in and around Fostoria (the survey’s count) and is open about 28 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Watertown Township 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 Fostoria’s library?
It logged 1.2 visits and lent 7.2 print items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3.5 visits for libraries serving under 2,500 people.
What is Fostoria’s civic life grade?
Fostoria 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 Fostoria.
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.