Lake Hiawatha’s library runs 23 programs per 1,000 residents, against a typical 14 for libraries its size
Parsippany-Troy Hills Public Library serves 56,162 people in and around Lake Hiawatha. Last year it lent 404K books, movies and e-books and logged 212K visits.
Lake Hiawatha’s library, in brief
Above typical on every measure
Against libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people, Parsippany-Troy Hills Public Library is above the middle on all seven per-resident measures we compare, with four in the top 30%. No single number stands out, and none lags far behind. How it compares ↓
Parsippany-Troy Hills Public Library serves more than Lake Hiawatha
The library’s service area covers 56,162 people in and around Lake Hiawatha, so its per-resident numbers are measured against that wider population. How it compares ↓
Kids’ books are most of what goes out
Children’s books and media make up 60% of print loans. Per resident, kids’ borrowing is higher than at 78% of similar-size libraries. 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 Lake Hiawatha’s civic life grade
Lake Hiawatha 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 all 8 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people across the U.S.
Parsippany-Troy Hills Public Library serves 56,162 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000.
Every hour the doors are open, about 53 items go out
Fiscal year 2024. The library’s own count.
More than half the print loans are kids’ books
404K loans last year: print, kids’ and digital.
Each of the 139K books and other items on the shelves went out about 2.3 times last year, on average.
82,816 e-books, e-audiobooks and streams last year. Borrow from home with your card, plus research databases: courses, journals, genealogy and more.
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.
Find it
Lake Hiawatha Branch, 68 Nokomis Ave., Lake Hiawatha.
No late fees. E-books and audiobooks from home. Loans renew on their own if no one’s waiting. Research databases: courses, journals, genealogy.
New in Lake Hiawatha? 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 $1.67 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Lake Hiawatha cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $40. Operating budget $3.7M.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $6.2M worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $3.7M 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 22,673 cardholders ÷ 12.
Libraries next door
Lake Hiawatha ranks 2nd of 3 for borrowing per resident. Tap a town to see its library.
| Town | Library | Loans per resident | Hours | Civic life |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Montville Township | Montville Twsp. Pub. Lib. | 9.4 | 57 | B |
| Lake Hiawatha | Lake Hiawatha Branch fine-free | 7.2 | 58 | — graded as part of its town |
| Parsippany-Troy Hills Township | Parsippany-Troy Hills P.L. fine-free | 7.2 | 66 | C+ |
| Parsippany | None of its own | — | — | — graded as part of its town |
| Pine Brook | None of its own | — | — | — 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 Lake Hiawatha
Does Lake Hiawatha have a public library?
Yes. Parsippany-Troy Hills Public Library, 68 Nokomis Ave., serves 56,162 people in and around Lake Hiawatha (the survey’s count) and is open about 58 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Parsippany-Troy Hills Public 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 Lake Hiawatha’s library?
It logged 3.8 visits and lent 7.2 items per resident in 2024, against a typical 2.6 visits for libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people.
What is Lake Hiawatha’s civic life grade?
Lake Hiawatha 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 Lake Hiawatha.
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.