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Edith B. Ford Memorial Library of Ovid, New York

Ovid’s library runs 46 programs per 1,000 residents, against a typical 34 for libraries its size

Edith B. Ford Memorial Library of Ovid, New York serves 7,706 people in and around Ovid. Last year it lent 13K books, movies and e-books and logged 9,403 visits.

7169 North Main Street, Ovid 14521 · about 43 hours a week
–Civic lifeNot graded: fewer than 1,000 residents
Borrowed a year
13K
1.6 per resident
Visits a year
9,403
1.2 per resident · Below typical (3)
Programs & events
353
about 7 a week · 4,330 attended
Cardholders
35%
2,681 cards
Open
43 hrs
a week at this branch
In brief

What Ovid’s library is like

Edith B. Ford Memorial Library of Ovid, New York is used less than most libraries its size

Edith B. Ford Memorial Library of Ovid, New York records 1.2 visits per resident, against a typical 3 for libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people. Borrowing is 1.3 print items per resident, against a typical 3.8. How it compares ↓

Gifts and endowments pay a real share

48% of the system’s income comes from gifts, endowments, fees and other sources, not taxes. Local taxes cover 52%. What your card is worth ↓

The branch is a National Register landmark

Edith B. Ford Memorial Library has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 2018. Today’s library there has 8,156 square feet. The building ↓

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; Edith B. Ford Memorial Library of Ovid, New York serves 7,706 people in and around Ovid, and its numbers cover all of them.

Civic life grade

What’s behind Ovid’s civic life grade

Ovid isn’t graded on civic life: TownRatings grades towns of 1,000 residents or more.

–
Civic lifeA character grade: shown, never part of Ovid’s overall grade.

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 →

★ What stands out · The building

A National Register landmark since 2018

Edith B. Ford Memorial Library of Ovid, New York, 7169 North Main Street, Ovid.

43
hours open a week
8,156
square feet
With a card

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 Edith B. Ford Memorial Library of Ovid, New York branch.

New in Ovid? The Handbook →

Hours are the survey’s yearly average. Check the library’s own site for today’s hours.

Edith B. Ford Memorial Library
The building’s story

Edith B. Ford Memorial Library

Ford, Edith B., Memorial Library was added to the National Register of Historic Places on May 25, 2018. It is significant for its architecture at the local level.

More about the building →
How it compares

Ahead of most similar-size libraries on 3 of 8 measures

Per resident, against libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people across the U.S.

Visits per resident 1.2 visits · typical 3Lower than 84%
Borrowing per resident 1.3 print items · typical 3.8Lower than 86%
Digital borrowing 0.4 e-items · typical 1Lower than 78%
Kids’ borrowing 0.4 kids’ items · typical 1.6Lower than 88%
Program attendance 0.6 attendees · typical 0.5Higher than 55%
Programs offered 45.8 per 1,000 residents · typical 34Higher than 63%
Cardholders 35% of residents · typical 42%Lower than 62%
Spending $43 per resident · typical $43Higher than 50%
Fewer per residentMore per resident
Size group

Edith B. Ford Memorial Library of Ovid, New York serves 7,706 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000.

A year at the library

Every hour the doors are open, about 6 items go out

Fiscal year 2024, for the whole Edith B. Ford Memorial Library of Ovid, New York system. The library’s own count.

9,403
visits
1.2 per resident
13K
loans, print + digital
1.6 per resident
353
programs & events
4,330 attended
2,681
library cards
35% of people served
Every open hour6items borrowed
Every week83people at a program
Every day50Wi-Fi sessions
4 staff (full-time equivalent)9 public computers
What people borrow

Mostly books and media off the shelf

13K loans last year: print, kids’ and digital.

13Kloans
Books & media (adults) 57%Kids’ books & media 22%E-books, audio & streaming 22%
From your couch

2,725 e-books, e-audiobooks and streams last year. Borrow from home with your card, plus research databases: courses, journals, genealogy and more.

Kids & programs

353 programs a year

Story times, clubs, classes and events, across the whole system, by who they’re for.

Schools in Ovid →

Programs last year by age group

Ages 0–58
Ages 6–1132
Teens88
Adults155
All ages70
Little ones
0.2

story times and programs a week for ages 0–5, on average.

2,757
kids’ books & media borrowed
4,330
people at programs
353
programs
What your card is worth

What a library card is worth

Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Ovid cardholder borrows.

In a month I’d use…
Books$17 each
1
Kids’ books$12 each
0
E-books & audio$15 each
0
Movies & music$4 each
0
Programs & classes$10 a program
0
Computer & Wi-Fi$3 a session
1
Your card saves you about
$240
a year at retail prices · $20 a month

Who pays for it
$43 per resident a year

Typical for a library this size: $43. Operating budget $331K.

Local taxes 52%State 1%Gifts & other 48%

Last year the library lent and hosted about $294K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $331K 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 2,681 cardholders ÷ 12.

How to read these numbers

What this data can and can’t tell you

From the Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024.

  • System-wide. Edith B. Ford Memorial Library of Ovid, New York serves 7,706 people in and around Ovid, so the yearly numbers cover all of them, not just Ovid.

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 Ovid

Does Ovid have a public library?

Yes. Edith B. Ford Memorial Library of Ovid, New York, 7169 North Main Street, serves 7,706 people in and around Ovid (the survey’s count) and is open about 43 hours a week, averaged over the year.

Is Edith B. Ford Memorial Library of Ovid, New York 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 Ovid’s library?

It logged 1.2 visits and lent 1.6 items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3 visits for libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people.

What is Ovid’s civic life grade?

Ovid 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 Ovid.

Town Square →
Start a conversation

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.