Photo: Mark Barry from Md, Vt, Ny. · CC BY 2.0North Bennington’s library is a branch of J. G. Mccullough Free Library, which lends more per resident than 70% of systems its size
North Bennington’s library is the John G. Mccullough Free Library, a branch of J. G. Mccullough Free Library, which serves 4,165 people and lent 31K items last year.
The short version on North Bennington’s library
Mostly paid for by gifts, not taxes
63% of the system’s income comes from gifts, endowments, fees and other sources, not taxes. Local taxes cover 27%. What your card is worth ↓
Above typical on nearly every measure
Against libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people, the J. G. Mccullough Free Library system is above the middle on six of the seven per-resident measures we compare, and close to it on the other, with four in the top 30%. No single number stands out, and none lags far behind. How it compares ↓
A well-funded system
The J. G. Mccullough Free Library system spends $84 per resident a year, about twice the typical $43 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; North Bennington’s library is a branch of J. G. Mccullough Free Library, so they cover the whole system (4,165 people), not just the North Bennington branch.
What’s behind North Bennington’s civic life grade
On community nonprofits and volunteering, North Bennington is among the top 1% of U.S. towns. North Bennington is graded on two of the three inputs. Both inputs put North Bennington near the top nationally; 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 →
13 community nonprofits are registered in North Bennington
9.5 per 1,000 residents, against a U.S. town median of 3.7. The largest group: education.
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.
16.8%
16.8% of North Bennington’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 North Bennington’s residents live; 2022.
For every $1 it spends, the library lends about $1.53 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average North Bennington cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $43. Operating budget $348K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $531K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $348K 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 2,275 cardholders ÷ 12.
Ahead of most similar-size libraries on 7 of 8 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people across the U.S.
J. G. Mccullough Free Library serves 4,165 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000.
Every hour the doors are open, about 16 items go out
Fiscal year 2024, for the whole J. G. Mccullough Free Library system. The library’s own count.
Mostly books and media off the shelf
31K loans last year: print, kids’ and digital.
7,668 e-books, e-audiobooks and streams last year. Borrow from home with your card, plus research databases: courses, journals, genealogy and more.
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.
Find it
John G. Mccullough Free Library, 2 Main St., North Bennington.
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 J. G. Mccullough Free Library branch.
New in North Bennington? The Handbook →Hours are the survey’s yearly average. Check the library’s own site for today’s hours.
What this data can and can’t tell you
From the Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024.
- System-wide. John G. Mccullough Free Library is one branch of J. G. Mccullough Free Library, so the yearly numbers cover every branch and all 4,165 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 North Bennington
Does North Bennington have a public library?
Yes: John G. Mccullough Free Library, 2 Main St., is a branch of J. G. Mccullough Free Library, which serves 4,165 people. The branch is open about 38 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is J. G. Mccullough Free Library 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 North Bennington’s library?
It logged 2.7 visits and lent 7.5 items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3 visits for libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people.
What is North Bennington’s civic life grade?
A+ North Bennington is among the top 1% 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 North Bennington.
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.