Photo: Unknown authorUnknown author · Public domainNewington’s library runs 401 programs per 1,000 residents, against a typical 60 for libraries its size
Langdon Library serves Newington’s 823 residents. Last year it lent 9,496 books, movies and e-books and logged 7,174 visits.
Newington’s library, in brief
Seven times the programs of a typical library its size
Langdon Library ran 330 programs last year, about 6 a week. That’s 401 per 1,000 residents, against a typical 60. Kids & programs ↓
Newington invests in its library
Langdon Library spends $343 per resident a year, about six times the typical $54 for a library its size. Almost all of it (94%) comes from local taxes. What your card is worth ↓
42% of borrowing happens on a screen
E-books, e-audiobooks and streaming make up 42% of loans, more per resident than at 95% of similar-size libraries. Print still makes up 58%, much of it kids’ books. What people borrow ↓
A big collection for the borrowing it gets
Langdon Library holds 25,000 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; in a town this small, one busy program or a few avid readers move the per-resident numbers.
What’s behind Newington’s civic life grade
Newington 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 →
About 3 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 Newington last year.
Ahead of most similar-size libraries on all 8 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving under 2,500 people across the U.S.
Langdon Library serves 823 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving under 2,500.
Every hour the doors are open, about 5 items go out
Fiscal year 2024. The library’s own count.
42% of borrowing is digital
9,496 loans last year: print, kids’ and digital.
Each of the 25K books and other items on the shelves went out about 0.2 time last year, on average.
3,941 e-books, e-audiobooks and streams last year. Borrow from home with your card, plus research databases: courses, journals, genealogy and more.
Find it
Langdon Library, 328 Nimble Hill Road, Newington.
No late fees. E-books and audiobooks from home. Research databases: courses, journals, genealogy.
New in Newington? The Handbook →Hours are the survey’s yearly average. Check the library’s own site for today’s hours.
What a library card is worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Newington cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $54. Operating budget $283K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $159K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $283K 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 445 cardholders ÷ 12.
Libraries next door
Newington ranks 2nd of 7 for borrowing per resident. Tap a town to see its library.
| Town | Library | Loans per resident | Hours | Civic life |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portsmouth | Portsmouth Public Library fine-free | 16.6 | 65 | A− |
| Newington | Langdon Library fine-free | 11.5 | 39 | — under 1,000 residents |
| Dover | Dover Public Library | 7.6 | 62 | B+ |
| Greenland | Weeks Public Library fine-free | 7.2 | 47 | B− |
| Durham | Durham Public Library fine-free | 7.1 | 47 | A |
| Eliot | William Fogg Public Library fine-free | 3.0 | 49 | B+ |
| South Eliot | William Fogg Public Library fine-free | 3.0 | 49 | — graded as part of its town |
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 Newington
Does Newington have a public library?
Yes. Langdon Library, 328 Nimble Hill Road, serves Newington’s 823 residents (the survey’s count) and is open about 39 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Langdon 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 Newington’s library?
It logged 8.7 visits and lent 11.5 items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3.5 visits for libraries serving under 2,500 people.
What is Newington’s civic life grade?
Newington 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 Newington.
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.