Photo: Jsbillin · CC BY-SA 4.0Woodstock’s library logs 19 visits per resident, against a typical 3 for libraries its size
Norman Williams Public serves 3,025 people in and around Woodstock. Last year it lent 33K print books and media and logged 56K visits.
The short version on Woodstock’s library
Woodstock has the most-used library in Vermont
Out of 43 Vermont towns with a library of their own, Woodstock comes first for visits per resident. How it compares ↓
Woodstock uses its library more than almost any town its size
Norman Williams Public logs 19 visits per resident, against a typical 3 for libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people, and lends 11 print items per resident against a typical 3.8. On both counts it beats 93% of similar-size libraries across the U.S. How it compares ↓
Mostly paid for by gifts, not taxes
59% of the library’s income comes from gifts, endowments, fees and other sources, not taxes. Local taxes cover 41%. What your card is worth ↓
Six times the programs of a typical library its size
Norman Williams Public ran 616 programs last year, about 12 a week. That’s 204 per 1,000 residents, against a typical 34. People show up: 4,893 attended. Kids & programs ↓
Nearly everyone in Woodstock has a card
2,947 cards for 3,025 people, or 97%. At the typical library serving 2,500 to 10,000 people, it’s 42%. 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.
What’s behind Woodstock’s civic life grade
Woodstock 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 →
About 4 kids’ programs a week
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.
Ahead of most similar-size libraries on all 6 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people across the U.S.
Norman Williams Public serves 3,025 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000.
Every hour the doors are open, about 13 items go out
Fiscal year 2024. The library’s own count.
Books and media off the shelf
33K print loans last year. The library didn’t report its e-book and e-audiobook loans.
The survey has no count of children’s loans for Woodstock’s library in 2024, so there’s no split between adults’ and kids’ borrowing.
Each of the 46K books and other items on the shelves went out about 0.7 time last year, on average.
Borrow from home with your card, plus research databases: courses, journals, genealogy and more.
Find it
Norman Williams Public, 10 the Green, Woodstock.
No late fees. E-books and audiobooks from home. Research databases: courses, journals, genealogy.
New in Woodstock? The Handbook →Hours are the survey’s yearly average. Check the library’s own site for today’s hours.
What a library card is worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Woodstock cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $43. Operating budget $647K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $624K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $647K 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 2,947 cardholders ÷ 12.
What this data can and can’t tell you
From the Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024.
- Visits count everyone. Woodstock’s 56,140 visits include people from nearby towns and summer visitors; the survey has no resident share.
- 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 Woodstock
Does Woodstock have a public library?
Yes. Norman Williams Public, 10 the Green, serves 3,025 people in and around Woodstock (the survey’s count) and is open about 47 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Norman Williams Public 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 Woodstock’s library?
It logged 18.6 visits and lent 10.7 print items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3 visits for libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people.
What is Woodstock’s civic life grade?
Woodstock 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 Woodstock.
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.