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Fall in South Royalton Vermont - Gilmore Girls Opening ScenePhoto: Anthony Quintano · CC BY 2.0
Royalton Memorial

South Royalton’s library runs 46 programs per 1,000 residents, against a typical 34 for libraries its size

Royalton Memorial serves 2,765 people in and around South Royalton. Last year it lent 8,152 books, movies and e-books and logged 4,998 visits.

57 Safford St., South Royalton 05068 · about 36 hours a week
–Civic lifeNot graded: fewer than 1,000 residents
Borrowed a year
8,152
2.9 per resident
Visits a year
4,998
1.8 per resident · Below typical (3)
Programs & events
127
about 2 a week · 882 attended
Cardholders
32%
871 cards
Open
36 hrs
a week

What stands out about South Royalton’s library

Read from the library’s own yearly report. The page puts what stands out first.

Civic life grade

What’s behind South Royalton’s civic life grade

South Royalton isn’t graded on civic life: TownRatings grades towns of 1,000 residents or more.

–
Civic lifeA character grade: shown, never part of South Royalton’s overall grade.

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 →

How it compares

Ahead of most similar-size libraries on 1 of 8 measures

Per resident, against libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people across the U.S.

Visits per resident 1.8 visits · typical 3Lower than 72%
Borrowing per resident 2.1 print items · typical 3.8Lower than 75%
Digital borrowing 0.9 e-items · typical 1Lower than 55%
Kids’ borrowing 1 kids’ items · typical 1.6Lower than 66%
Program attendance 0.3 attendees · typical 0.5Lower than 66%
Programs offered 45.9 per 1,000 residents · typical 34Higher than 63%
Cardholders 32% of residents · typical 42%Lower than 67%
Spending $35 per resident · typical $43Lower than 62%
Fewer per residentMore per resident
Size group

Royalton Memorial serves 2,765 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000.

A year at the library

Every hour the doors are open, about 4 items go out

Fiscal year 2024. The library’s own count.

4,998
visits
1.8 per resident
8,152
loans, print + digital
2.9 per resident
127
programs & events
882 attended
871
library cards
32% of people served
Every open hour4items borrowed
Every week17people at a program
Every day1Wi-Fi sessions
2 staff (full-time equivalent)4 public computers8,345 books & media on the shelves
What people borrow

Almost half the print loans are kids’ books

8,152 loans last year: print, kids’ and digital.

8,152loans
Books & media (adults) 36%Kids’ books & media 35%E-books, audio & streaming 29%
How hard the shelves work
0.7×

Each of the 8,345 books and other items on the shelves went out about 0.7 time last year, on average.

From your couch

2,391 e-books, e-audiobooks and streams last year. Borrow from home with your card, plus research databases: courses, journals, genealogy and more.

Kids & programs

About 2 kids’ programs a week

Story times, clubs, classes and events, by who they’re for.

Schools in South Royalton →

Programs last year by age group

Ages 0–566
Ages 6–1113
Teens25
Adults23
All ages0
Little ones
1.3

story times and programs a week for ages 0–5, on average.

2,836
kids’ books & media borrowed
882
people at programs
127
programs
The building

Find it

Royalton Memorial, 57 Safford St., South Royalton.

36
hours open a week
1,085
square feet
8,345
books & media
With a card

No late fees. E-books and audiobooks from home. Research databases: courses, journals, genealogy.

New in South Royalton? The Handbook →

Hours are the survey’s yearly average. Check the library’s own site for today’s hours.

What your card is worth

For every $1 it spends, the library lends about $1.34 worth

Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average South Royalton cardholder borrows.

In a month I’d use…
Books$17 each
1
Kids’ books$12 each
0
E-books & audio$15 each
0
Movies & music$4 each
0
Programs & classes$10 a program
0
Computer & Wi-Fi$3 a session
0
Your card saves you about
$204
a year at retail prices · $17 a month

Who pays for it
$35 per resident a year

Typical for a library this size: $43. Operating budget $96K.

Local taxes 87%State 0%Federal 1%Gifts & other 12%

Last year the library lent and hosted about $129K 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 871 cardholders ÷ 12.

How to read these numbers

What this data can and can’t tell you

From the Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024.

  • The library’s own count. Libraries report their own visits, loans and programs. A library that didn’t respond keeps its address and hours here, with no numbers.

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 South Royalton

Does South Royalton have a public library?

Yes. Royalton Memorial, 57 Safford St., serves 2,765 people in and around South Royalton (the survey’s count) and is open about 36 hours a week, averaged over the year.

Is Royalton 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 South Royalton’s library?

It logged 1.8 visits and lent 2.9 items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3 visits for libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people.

What is South Royalton’s civic life grade?

South Royalton 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 South Royalton.

Town Square →
Start a conversation

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.