West Babylon’s library runs 27 programs per 1,000 residents, against a typical 14 for libraries its size
West Babylon Public Library serves 27,947 people in and around West Babylon. Last year it lent 186K books, movies and e-books and logged 93K visits.
West Babylon’s library, in brief
A well-funded system
West Babylon Public Library spends $128 per resident a year, about three times the typical $40 for a library its size. Almost all of it (97%) comes from local taxes. What your card is worth ↓
Programs lean toward adults
59% of the 764 programs last year were for adults: classes, talks, clubs and events. 218 were for children. Kids & programs ↓
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; West Babylon Public Library serves 27,947 people in and around West Babylon, and its numbers cover all of them.
What’s behind West Babylon’s civic life grade
West Babylon 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 →
What a library card is worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average West Babylon cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $40. Operating budget $3.6M.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $3M worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $3.6M budget.
Late fines apply to some overdue items.
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 12,003 cardholders ÷ 12.
Ahead of most similar-size libraries on all 8 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people across the U.S.
West Babylon Public Library serves 27,947 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000.
Every hour the doors are open, about 59 items go out
Fiscal year 2024, for the whole West Babylon Public Library system. The library’s own count.
Mostly books and media off the shelf
186K loans last year: print, kids’ and digital.
52,618 e-books, e-audiobooks and streams last year. Borrow from home with your card, plus research databases: courses, journals, genealogy and more.
About 4 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.
Find it
West Babylon Public Library, 211 Route 109, West Babylon.
E-books and audiobooks from home. Loans renew on their own if no one’s waiting. Research databases: courses, journals, genealogy. Good at every West Babylon Public Library branch.
New in West Babylon? The Handbook →Hours are the survey’s yearly average. Check the library’s own site for today’s hours.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Babylon | West Babylon Public Library | — | 60 | — graded as part of its town |
| Lindenhurst | Lindenhurst Memorial Library fine-free | — | 68 | C |
| North Babylon | North Babylon Public Library | — | 63 | — graded as part of its town |
| Wyandanch | Wyandanch Public Library | — | 62 | — under 1,000 residents |
| Babylon | Babylon Public Library fine-free | — | 60 | B |
| Deer Park | Deer Park Public Library | — | 52 | — graded as part of its town |
| North Lindenhurst | None of its own | — | — | — graded as part of its town |
| East Farmingdale | 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. West Babylon Public Library serves 27,947 people in and around West Babylon, so the yearly numbers cover all of them, not just West 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 West Babylon
Does West Babylon have a public library?
Yes. West Babylon Public Library, 211 Route 109, serves 27,947 people in and around West Babylon (the survey’s count) and is open about 60 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is West Babylon Public Library fine-free? Does it lend e-books?
It charges late fines on some overdue items, and it lends e-books and audiobooks with a card (the library’s 2024 survey report).
How busy is West Babylon’s library?
It logged 3.3 visits and lent 6.6 items per resident in 2024, against a typical 2.6 visits for libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people.
What is West Babylon’s civic life grade?
West Babylon 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 West 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. “What your card is worth” uses typical retail prices and is an estimate, not an official figure.