Rhinecliff’s library is a branch of Morton Memorial Library and Community House, which lends more per resident than 67% of systems its size
Rhinecliff’s library is the Morton Memorial Library and Community Hous, a branch of Morton Memorial Library and Community House, which serves 622 people and lent 3,557 items last year.
Rhinecliff’s library, in brief
11 times the programs of a typical library its size
The Morton Memorial Library and Community House system ran 411 programs last year, about 8 a week. That’s 661 per 1,000 residents, against a typical 60. People show up: 6,251 attended. Kids & programs ↓
Gifts and endowments pay a real share
44% of the system’s income comes from gifts, endowments, fees and other sources, not taxes. Local taxes cover 55%. What your card is worth ↓
Visits are the system’s strong suit
The Morton Memorial Library and Community House system logs 19 visits per resident, against a typical 3.5 for libraries serving under 2,500 people, more than 97% of similar-size libraries. Borrowing is above typical too, at 5.7 print items per resident. How it compares ↓
The branch is a National Register landmark
Morton Memorial Library has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1987. Today’s library there has 11,000 square feet. The building ↓
A well-funded system
The Morton Memorial Library and Community House system spends $265 per resident a year, about five times the typical $54 for a library its size. 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; Rhinecliff’s library is a branch of Morton Memorial Library and Community House, so they cover the whole system (622 people), not just the Rhinecliff branch; in a town this small, one busy program or a few avid readers move the per-resident numbers.
What’s behind Rhinecliff’s civic life grade
Rhinecliff 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 3 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 7 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving under 2,500 people across the U.S.
Morton Memorial Library and Community House serves 622 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving under 2,500.
Every hour the doors are open, about 2 items go out
Fiscal year 2024, for the whole Morton Memorial Library and Community House system. The library’s own count.
Books and media off the shelf
3,557 print loans last year. The library didn’t report its e-book and e-audiobook loans.
Borrow from home with your card, plus research databases: courses, journals, genealogy and more.
A National Register landmark since 1987
Morton Memorial Library and Community Hous, 82 Kelly Street, Rhinecliff.
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 Morton Memorial Library and Community House branch.
New in Rhinecliff? The Handbook →Hours are the survey’s yearly average. Check the library’s own site for today’s hours.
Morton Memorial Library
Morton Memorial Library was added to the National Register of Historic Places on Jul 9, 1987. It is significant for its architecture at the local level. Its architecture is described as Colonial Revival. It was listed as part of Rhinebeck Town MRA.
The Morton Memorial Library is an historic structure along Kelly Street in the hamlet of Rhinecliff, New York, just east of the Hudson River.
More about the building →What a library card is worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Rhinecliff cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $54. Operating budget $165K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $137K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $165K 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 463 cardholders ÷ 12.
What this data can and can’t tell you
From the Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024.
- Visits count everyone. Rhinecliff’s 11,575 visits include people from nearby towns and summer visitors; the survey has no resident share.
- Digital loans not reported. New York libraries often don’t report e-book loans, so borrowing here is print only.
- System-wide. Morton Memorial Library and Community Hous is one branch of Morton Memorial Library and Community House, so the yearly numbers cover every branch and all 622 people it serves.
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 Rhinecliff
Does Rhinecliff have a public library?
Yes: Morton Memorial Library and Community Hous, 82 Kelly Street, is a branch of Morton Memorial Library and Community House, which serves 622 people. The branch is open about 36 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Morton Memorial Library and Community House 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 Rhinecliff’s library?
It logged 18.6 visits and lent 5.7 print items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3.5 visits for libraries serving under 2,500 people.
What is Rhinecliff’s civic life grade?
Rhinecliff 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 Rhinecliff.
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.