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Library · Falls

David M. Hunt Library

David M. Hunt Library serves 1,082 people in and around Falls. Last year it lent 9,852 books, movies and e-books and logged 11K visits.

63 Main St., Canaan 06031 · about 27 hours a week
Borrowed a year
9,852
9.1 per resident
Visits a year
11K
10.6 per resident · Above typical (3.5)
Programs & events
322
about 6 a week · 4,362 attended
Cardholders
41%
449 cards
Open
27 hrs
a week

What stands out about David M. Hunt Library

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

★ What stands out · Kids & programs

About 4 kids’ programs a week

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

Schools in Falls →

Programs last year by age group

Ages 0–5136
Ages 6–1161
Teens9
Adults114
All ages2
Little ones
2.6

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

3,457
kids’ books & media borrowed
4,362
people at programs
322
programs
A year at the library

Every hour the doors are open, about 7 items go out

Fiscal year 2024. The library’s own count.

11K
visits
10.6 per resident
9,852
loans, print + digital
9.1 per resident
322
programs & events
4,362 attended
449
library cards
41% of people served
Every open hour7items borrowed
Every week84people at a program
Every day2Wi-Fi sessions
2 staff (full-time equivalent)2 public computers23K books & media on the shelves
What your card is worth

For every $1 it spends, the library lends about $1.09 worth

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

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

Who pays for it
$164 per resident a year

Typical for a library this size: $54. Operating budget $178K.

Local taxes 28%State 1%Gifts & other 71%

Last year the library lent and hosted about $193K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $178K 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 449 cardholders ÷ 12.

How it compares

Ahead of most similar-size libraries on 6 of 8 measures

Per resident, against libraries serving under 2,500 people across the U.S. A tiny town’s library always looks busier per person, so it’s only compared with its own size.

Visits per resident 10.6 visits · typical 3.5Top 10%
Borrowing per resident 7.7 print items · typical 3.9Higher than 79%
Digital borrowing 1.4 e-items · typical 1Higher than 60%
Kids’ borrowing 3.2 kids’ items · typical 1.4Higher than 78%
Program attendance 4 attendees · typical 0.7Top 10%
Programs offered 297.6 per 1,000 residents · typical 60Top 10%
Cardholders 41% of residents · typical 54%Lower than 64%
Spending $164 per resident · typical $54Top 10%
Fewer per residentMore per resident
In Connecticut
#10 of 173

library systems for visits per resident.

Size group

David M. Hunt Library serves 1,082 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving under 2,500.

What people borrow

Mostly books and media off the shelf

9,852 loans last year: print, kids’ and digital.

9,852loans
Books & media (adults) 50%Kids’ books & media 35%E-books, audio & streaming 15%
How hard the shelves work
0.4×

Each of the 23K books and other items on the shelves went out about 0.4 time last year, on average.

From your couch

1,491 e-books, e-audiobooks and streams last year. Borrow from home with your card.

The building

Find it

David M. Hunt Library, 63 Main St., Canaan.

27
hours open a week
3,600
square feet
23K
books & media
With a card

No late fees. E-books and audiobooks from home.

New in Falls? The Handbook →

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

Next door

Libraries next door

Falls ranks 2nd of 3 for borrowing per resident. Tap a town to see its library.

12+ loans per resident8–124–8Under 4No library / shared system
TownLibraryLoans per residentHours
SalisburyScoville Memorial Library fine-free11.839
FallsDavid M. Hunt Library fine-free9.127
CanaanDavid M. Hunt Library fine-free9.127

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.

About these numbers

From the Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024.

  • Hours are an average. The survey reports a building’s public hours for the whole year. We divide by the weeks it was open, so check the library’s own site for today’s hours.
  • Compared by size. “Similar-size” means libraries serving about as many people, nationwide. Per-resident numbers always flatter the smallest towns, so they’re never compared with big cities.
  • 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.

Book talk

Reading, story times and the library in Falls.

Town Square →
Weigh in
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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.

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