Photo: gplefka · Public domainArlington’s library is a branch of Martha Canfield Memorial, which lends less per resident than 70% of systems its size
Arlington’s library is the Martha Canfield Memorial Free Library, a branch of Martha Canfield Memorial, which serves 4,724 people and lent 12K items last year.
The short version on Arlington’s library
Mostly paid for by gifts, not taxes
72% of the system’s income comes from gifts, endowments, fees and other sources, not taxes. Local taxes cover 27%. What your card is worth ↓
Below typical on every measure
Against libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people, the Martha Canfield Memorial system sits below the middle on all six per-resident measures we compare, and in the bottom 30% on four. How it compares ↓
Few programs for a library this size
The Martha Canfield Memorial system offered 32 programs last year, 6.8 per 1,000 residents against a typical 34. 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; Arlington’s library is a branch of Martha Canfield Memorial, so they cover the whole system (4,724 people), not just the Arlington branch.
What’s behind Arlington’s civic life grade
On community nonprofits and volunteering, Arlington is ahead of 96% of U.S. towns. Arlington is graded on two of the three inputs. Both inputs are above most U.S. towns; the share of younger adults in volunteering groups ranks highest.
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 →
16 community nonprofits are registered in Arlington
6.0 per 1,000 residents, against a U.S. town median of 3.7. The largest group: environment & animals.
Community nonprofits, by kind
Counted from the IRS list of tax-exempt organizations by mailing address (fractions where a ZIP code spans towns). Congregations are counted apart (3 here), since whether a church registers depends on its denomination, not the town.
14.1%
14.1% of Arlington’s Facebook users aged 25–44 belong to a volunteering or activism group, against 8.5% in the typical Vermont town and 7.5% nationally.
Volunteering: Social Capital Atlas (Opportunity Insights), from data by Meta Platforms, Inc.; Chetty et al., Nature 2022. ZIP-code figures, weighted by where Arlington’s residents live; 2022.
Below most similar-size libraries on all 7 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people across the U.S.
Martha Canfield Memorial serves 4,724 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000.
Every hour the doors are open, about 6 items go out
Fiscal year 2024, for the whole Martha Canfield Memorial system. The library’s own count.
Books and media off the shelf
12K 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.
32 programs a year
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
Martha Canfield Memorial Free Library, 528 E. Arlington Rd., Arlington.
No late fees. E-books and audiobooks from home. Research databases: courses, journals, genealogy. Good at every Martha Canfield Memorial branch.
New in Arlington? 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 $1.44 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Arlington cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $43. Operating budget $130K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $187K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $130K 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 1,659 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arlington | Martha Canfield Memorial Free Library fine-free | — | 39 | A+ |
| Sunderland | None of its own | — | — | A+ |
| Shaftsbury | None of its own | — | — | A |
| Sandgate | None of its own | — | — | — under 1,000 residents |
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.
- Digital loans not reported. Vermont libraries often don’t report e-book loans, so borrowing here is print only.
- System-wide. Martha Canfield Memorial Free Library is one branch of Martha Canfield Memorial, so the yearly numbers cover every branch and all 4,724 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 Arlington
Does Arlington have a public library?
Yes: Martha Canfield Memorial Free Library, 528 E. Arlington Rd., is a branch of Martha Canfield Memorial, which serves 4,724 people. The branch is open about 39 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Martha Canfield Memorial 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 Arlington’s library?
It logged 2.1 visits and lent 2.5 print items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3 visits for libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people.
What is Arlington’s civic life grade?
A+ Arlington is ahead of 96% of U.S. towns on civic life. The grade combines library visits per resident, community nonprofits per 1,000 residents and the share of adults 25–44 in volunteering groups. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
Book talk
Reading, story times and the library in Arlington.
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.