Fair Haven’s library logs 14 visits per resident, against a typical 3.5 for libraries its size
Village of Fair Haven Public Library serves Fair Haven’s 760 residents. Last year it lent 7,008 books, movies and e-books and logged 11K visits.
What Fair Haven’s library is like
People come to Village of Fair Haven Public Library a lot
Village of Fair Haven Public Library logs 14 visits per resident, against a typical 3.5 for libraries serving under 2,500 people, more than 95% of similar-size libraries. Borrowing is above typical too, at 8.5 print items per resident. How it compares ↓
A small-town library
Village of Fair Haven Public Library serves 760 residents with about one full-time staff. 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 ↓
Open only about 21 hours a week
Village of Fair Haven Public Library keeps short hours: about 21 a week, averaged over the year, so check its schedule before you go. The building ↓
Programs lean toward adults
63% of the 76 programs last year were for adults: classes, talks, clubs and events. 28 were for children. Kids & programs ↓
Almost all the borrowing is off the shelf
Only 8% of loans are e-books, audiobooks or streaming, fewer per resident than at 58% 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; in a town this small, one busy program or a few avid readers move the per-resident numbers.
What’s behind Fair Haven’s civic life grade
Fair Haven 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 →
Every hour the doors are open, about 6 items go out
Fiscal year 2024. The library’s own count.
Ahead of most similar-size libraries on 7 of 8 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving under 2,500 people across the U.S.
Village of Fair Haven Public Library serves 760 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving under 2,500.
Almost half the print loans are kids’ books
7,008 loans last year: print, kids’ and digital.
Each of the 14K books and other items on the shelves went out about 0.4 time last year, on average.
549 e-books, e-audiobooks and streams last year. Borrow from home with your card, plus research databases: courses, journals, genealogy and more.
76 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.
children’s books and media borrowed per child under 18 in Fair Haven last year.
Find it
Village of Fair Haven Public Library, 14426 South Richmond Avenue, Fair Haven.
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 Fair Haven? 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 $2.14 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Fair Haven cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $54. Operating budget $52K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $113K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $52K 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 567 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair Haven | Village of Fair Haven Public Library fine-free | 9.2 | 21 | — graded with its twin city |
| Sterling | Village of Fair Haven Public Library fine-free | 9.2 | 21 | B− |
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 Fair Haven
Does Fair Haven have a public library?
Yes. Village of Fair Haven Public Library, 14426 South Richmond Avenue, serves Fair Haven’s 760 residents (the survey’s count) and is open about 21 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Village of Fair Haven 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 Fair Haven’s library?
It logged 13.9 visits and lent 9.2 items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3.5 visits for libraries serving under 2,500 people.
What is Fair Haven’s civic life grade?
Fair Haven 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 Fair Haven.
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.