North Bellmore’s library runs 48 programs per 1,000 residents, against a typical 14 for libraries its size
North Bellmore Public Library serves 26,724 people in and around North Bellmore. Last year it lent 155K books, movies and e-books and logged 64K visits.
North Bellmore’s library, in brief
Three times the programs of a typical library its size
North Bellmore Public Library ran 1,276 programs last year, about 25 a week. That’s 48 per 1,000 residents, against a typical 14. People show up: 21,000 attended. Kids & programs ↓
A well-funded system
North Bellmore Public Library spends $122 per resident a year, about three times the typical $40 for a library its size. All of it comes from local taxes. What your card is worth ↓
Programs lean toward adults
56% of the 1,276 programs last year were for adults: classes, talks, clubs and events. 422 were for children. Kids & programs ↓
41% of borrowing happens on a screen
E-books, e-audiobooks and streaming make up 41% of loans, more per resident than at 79% of similar-size libraries. Print still makes up 59%, much of it kids’ books. 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; North Bellmore Public Library serves 26,724 people in and around North Bellmore, and its numbers cover all of them.
What’s behind North Bellmore’s civic life grade
North Bellmore 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 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 6 of 8 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people across the U.S.
North Bellmore Public Library serves 26,724 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000.
Every hour the doors are open, about 47 items go out
Fiscal year 2024, for the whole North Bellmore Public Library system. The library’s own count.
41% of borrowing is digital
155K loans last year: print, kids’ and digital.
62,792 e-books, e-audiobooks and streams last year. Borrow from home with your card, plus research databases: courses, journals, genealogy and more.
Find it
North Bellmore Public Library, 1551 Newbridge Road, North Bellmore.
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 North Bellmore Public Library branch.
New in North Bellmore? 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 North Bellmore cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $40. Operating budget $3.2M.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $2.5M worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $3.2M 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 12,907 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Bellmore | North Bellmore Public Library fine-free | — | 63 | — graded as part of its town |
| East Meadow | East Meadow Public Library fine-free | — | 65 | — graded as part of its town |
| Bellmore | Bellmore Memorial Library fine-free | — | 61 | — graded as part of its town |
| Wantagh | Wantagh Public Library | — | 60 | — graded as part of its town |
| Merrick | North Merrick Public Library | — | 62 | — graded as part of its town |
| North Merrick | None of its own | — | — | — graded as part of its town |
| North Wantagh | 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.
- System-wide. North Bellmore Public Library serves 26,724 people in and around North Bellmore, so the yearly numbers cover all of them, not just North Bellmore.
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 North Bellmore
Does North Bellmore have a public library?
Yes. North Bellmore Public Library, 1551 Newbridge Road, serves 26,724 people in and around North Bellmore (the survey’s count) and is open about 63 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is North Bellmore 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 North Bellmore’s library?
It logged 2.4 visits and lent 5.8 items per resident in 2024, against a typical 2.6 visits for libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people.
What is North Bellmore’s civic life grade?
North Bellmore 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 North Bellmore.
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.