Babylon’s library runs 61 programs per 1,000 residents, against a typical 24 for libraries its size
Babylon School District Public Library serves 11,890 people in and around Babylon. Last year it lent 86K books, movies and e-books and logged 55K visits.
The short version on Babylon’s library
Twice the programs of a typical library its size
Babylon School District Public Library ran 722 programs last year, about 14 a week. That’s 61 per 1,000 residents, against a typical 24. People show up: 12,000 attended. Kids & programs ↓
The branch is a National Register landmark
Babylon Library, The has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 2015. Today’s library there has 18,000 square feet. The building ↓
40% of borrowing happens on a screen
E-books, e-audiobooks and streaming make up 40% of loans, more per resident than at 86% of similar-size libraries. Print still makes up 60%, much of it kids’ books. What people borrow ↓
A well-funded system
Babylon School District Public Library spends $189 per resident a year, about four times the typical $43 for a library its size. Almost all of it (96%) comes from local taxes. 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; Babylon School District Public Library serves 11,890 people in and around Babylon, and its numbers cover all of them.
What’s behind Babylon’s civic life grade
On library visits, community nonprofits and volunteering, Babylon is ahead of 62% of U.S. towns, #273 of 751 in New York. Babylon’s count of community nonprofits holds the grade up; the share of younger adults in volunteering groups pulls it down.
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 →
70 community nonprofits are registered in Babylon
5.8 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 (4 here), since whether a church registers depends on its denomination, not the town. 1 more name a national or statewide reach and are left out.
6.0%
6.0% of Babylon’s Facebook users aged 25–44 belong to a volunteering or activism group, against 7.4% in the typical New York 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 Babylon’s residents live; 2022.
About 8 kids’ programs a week
Story times, clubs, classes and events, across the whole system, by who they’re for.
Programs last year by age group
story times and programs a week for ages 0–5, on average.
Ahead of most similar-size libraries on all 8 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000 people across the U.S.
Babylon School District Public Library serves 11,890 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000.
Every hour the doors are open, about 27 items go out
Fiscal year 2024, for the whole Babylon School District Public Library system. The library’s own count.
40% of borrowing is digital
86K loans last year: print, kids’ and digital.
34,027 e-books, e-audiobooks and streams last year. Borrow from home with your card, plus research databases: courses, journals, genealogy and more.
A National Register landmark since 2015
Babylon Public Library, 24 South Carll Avenue, Babylon.
No late fees. E-books and audiobooks from home. Loans renew on their own if no one’s waiting. Research databases: courses, journals, genealogy. Good at every Babylon School District Public Library branch.
New in Babylon? The Handbook →Hours are the survey’s yearly average. Check the library’s own site for today’s hours.
Babylon Library, The
Babylon Library, The was added to the National Register of Historic Places on Aug 10, 2015. It is significant for its education and architecture at the local level.
More about the building →What a library card is worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Babylon cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $43. Operating budget $2.3M.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $1.4M worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $2.3M 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 5,361 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Babylon | Babylon Public Library fine-free | — | 60 | B |
| West Islip | West Islip Public Library fine-free | — | 61 | — graded as part of its town |
| Islip | Connetquot Public Library fine-free | — | 71 | C |
| West Babylon | West Babylon Public Library | — | 60 | — graded as part of its town |
| North Babylon | North Babylon Public Library | — | 63 | — 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.
- System-wide. Babylon School District Public Library serves 11,890 people in and around Babylon, so the yearly numbers cover all of them, not just Babylon.
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 Babylon
Does Babylon have a public library?
Yes. Babylon School District Public Library, 24 South Carll Avenue, serves 11,890 people in and around Babylon (the survey’s count) and is open about 60 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Babylon School District 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 Babylon’s library?
It logged 4.6 visits and lent 7.2 items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3.1 visits for libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000 people.
What is Babylon’s civic life grade?
B Babylon is ahead of 62% of U.S. towns on civic life, #273 of 751 in New York. 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 Babylon.
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. Building history: National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places; photo via Wikimedia Commons. “What your card is worth” uses typical retail prices and is an estimate, not an official figure.