Photo: Ascended Dreamer · CC BY-SA 4.0Peacham’s library runs 301 programs per 1,000 residents, against a typical 60 for libraries its size
Peacham serves Peacham’s 938 residents. Last year it lent 5,221 print books and media and logged 8,866 visits.
Peacham’s library, in brief
Mostly paid for by gifts, not taxes
70% of the library’s income comes from gifts, endowments, fees and other sources, not taxes. Local taxes cover 29%. What your card is worth ↓
Five times the programs of a typical library its size
Peacham ran 282 programs last year, about 5 a week. That’s 301 per 1,000 residents, against a typical 60. People show up: 3,769 attended. Kids & programs ↓
A small-town library
Peacham serves 938 residents with about one full-time staff. It’s compared only with libraries serving under 2,500 people, because per-person numbers always look big in a small town. A year at the library ↓
Open only about 20 hours a week
Peacham keeps short hours: about 20 a week, averaged over the year, so check its schedule before you go. The building ↓
People come to Peacham a lot
Peacham logs 9.5 visits per resident, against a typical 3.5 for libraries serving under 2,500 people, more than 88% of similar-size libraries. Borrowing is above typical too, at 5.6 print items per resident. How it compares ↓
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; in a town this small, one busy program or a few avid readers move the per-resident numbers.
What’s behind Peacham’s civic life grade
Peacham 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 →
282 programs a year
Story times, clubs, classes and events, by who they’re for.
Programs last year by age group
story times and programs a week for ages 0–5, on average.
children’s books and media borrowed per child under 18 in Peacham last year.
Ahead of most similar-size libraries on 6 of 7 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving under 2,500 people across the U.S.
Peacham serves 938 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving under 2,500.
Every hour the doors are open, about 5 items go out
Fiscal year 2024. The library’s own count.
Books and media off the shelf
5,221 print loans last year. The library didn’t report its e-book and e-audiobook loans.
Each of the 13K books and other items on the shelves went out about 0.4 time last year, on average.
Borrow from home with your card, plus research databases: courses, journals, genealogy and more.
Find it
Peacham, 656 Bayley Hazen Rd., Peacham.
No late fees. E-books and audiobooks from home. Loans renew on their own if no one’s waiting. Research databases: courses, journals, genealogy.
New in Peacham? 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 $1.27 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Peacham cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $54. Operating budget $96K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $122K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $96K 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 382 cardholders ÷ 12.
Libraries next door
Peacham ranks 2nd of 5 for borrowing per resident. Tap a town to see its library.
| Town | Library | Loans per resident | Hours | Civic life |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marshfield | Jaquith Public fine-free | 6.2 | 34 | A− |
| Peacham | Peacham fine-free | 5.6 | 20 | — under 1,000 residents |
| Cabot | Cabot Public fine-free | 4.1 | 25 | A |
| Barnet | Barnet Public fine-free | 3.9 | 21 | C+ |
| Danville | Pope Memorial fine-free | 3.1 | 26 | B+ |
| Groton | Groton Free Public fine-free | — | 18 | — 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.
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 Peacham
Does Peacham have a public library?
Yes. Peacham, 656 Bayley Hazen Rd., serves Peacham’s 938 residents (the survey’s count) and is open about 20 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Peacham 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 Peacham’s library?
It logged 9.5 visits and lent 5.6 print items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3.5 visits for libraries serving under 2,500 people.
What is Peacham’s civic life grade?
Peacham 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 Peacham.
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.