Congregational Church of Ludlow · Photo: Tyler Goodrich · CC BY-SA 3.0Ludlow’s library lends 5.8 print items per resident, against a typical 3.9 for libraries its size
Fletcher Memorial serves 2,285 people in and around Ludlow. Last year it lent 13K print books and media and drew 859 people to its programs.
What Ludlow’s library is like
Mostly paid for by gifts, not taxes
79% of the system’s income comes from gifts, endowments, fees and other sources, not taxes. Local taxes cover 20%. What your card is worth ↓
The branch is a National Register landmark
Fletcher Memorial Library has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 2024. Today’s library there has 7,000 square feet. The building ↓
Most programs are for young children
76% of the 123 programs last year were for ages 11 and under, including 42 for ages 0–5. 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; Fletcher Memorial serves 2,285 people in and around Ludlow, and its numbers cover all of them; in a town this small, one busy program or a few avid readers move the per-resident numbers.
What’s behind Ludlow’s civic life grade
On community nonprofits and volunteering, Ludlow is ahead of 93% of U.S. towns. Its library’s 2024 visits weren’t reported, so Ludlow is graded on two of the three inputs. Both inputs are above most U.S. towns; Ludlow’s count of community nonprofits ranks highest.
The survey’s stand-in for Ludlow’s 2024 visits carries forward a 2022 figure, so it is left out.
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 →
31 community nonprofits are registered in Ludlow
15.4 per 1,000 residents, against a U.S. town median of 3.7. The largest group: civic groups, clubs & veterans.
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 (1 here), since whether a church registers depends on its denomination, not the town.
8.9%
8.9% of Ludlow’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 Ludlow’s residents live; 2022.
A National Register landmark since 2024
Fletcher Memorial, 88 Main St., Ludlow.
No late fees. E-books and audiobooks from home. Research databases: courses, journals, genealogy. Good at every Fletcher Memorial branch.
New in Ludlow? The Handbook →Hours are the survey’s yearly average. Check the library’s own site for today’s hours.
Fletcher Memorial Library
Fletcher Memorial Library was added to the National Register of Historic Places on Sep 9, 2024. It is significant for its architecture and education at the local level.
More about the building →Ahead of most similar-size libraries on 3 of 6 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving under 2,500 people across the U.S.
Fletcher Memorial serves 2,285 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving under 2,500.
Every hour the doors are open, about 7 items go out
Fiscal year 2024, for the whole Fletcher Memorial system. The library’s own count.
Not reported for 2024: visits. The survey fills a missing figure with its own estimate; we leave estimates out rather than show them as the library’s count.
Books and media off the shelf
13K 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.
About 2 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.
For every $1 it spends, the library lends about $1.05 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Ludlow cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $54. Operating budget $205K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $216K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $205K 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 976 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chester | Whiting fine-free | 4.4 | 29 | A− |
| Cavendish | Cavendish Fletcher Community fine-free | 3.9 | 27 | A |
| Ludlow | Fletcher Memorial fine-free | — | 37 | A |
| Mount Holly | Mount Holly Town | — | — | — too few inputs |
| Plymouth | Tyson | — | — | — under 1,000 residents |
| Andover | 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.
- Not reported for 2024: visits. Fletcher Memorial didn’t report visits; the survey’s estimate carries forward its 2022 figure, so we leave it out and never rank it.
- Digital loans not reported. Vermont libraries often don’t report e-book loans, so borrowing here is print only.
- System-wide. Fletcher Memorial serves 2,285 people in and around Ludlow, so the yearly numbers cover all of them, not just Ludlow.
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 Ludlow
Does Ludlow have a public library?
Yes. Fletcher Memorial, 88 Main St., serves 2,285 people in and around Ludlow (the survey’s count) and is open about 37 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Fletcher 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 Ludlow’s library?
It lent 5.8 items per resident in 2024 (print) and ran 123 programs that drew 859 people. Visits weren’t reported for 2024.
What is Ludlow’s civic life grade?
A Ludlow is ahead of 93% 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 Ludlow.
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. “What your card is worth” uses typical retail prices and is an estimate, not an official figure.