Edward Smith Library
Edward Smith Library serves 13,415 people in and around Northford. Last year it lent 108K books, movies and e-books and logged 72K visits.
What stands out about Edward Smith Library
Read from the library’s own yearly report. The page puts what stands out first.
About 6 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.
Every hour the doors are open, about 19 items go out
Fiscal year 2024. The library’s own count.
For every $1 it spends, the library lends about $1.95 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Northford cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $43. Operating budget $923K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $1.8M worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $923K 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 3,303 cardholders ÷ 12.
Ahead of most similar-size libraries on 5 of 8 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000 people across the U.S. A tiny town’s library always looks busier per person, so it’s only compared with its own size.
library systems for visits per resident.
Edward Smith Library serves 13,415 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000.
Mostly books and media off the shelf
108K loans last year: print, kids’ and digital.
Each of the 65K books and other items on the shelves went out about 1.4 time last year, on average.
17,794 e-books, e-audiobooks and streams last year. Borrow from home with your card, plus research databases: courses, journals, genealogy and more.
Find it
Edward Smith Library, 3 Old Post Rd., North Branford.
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 Northford? The Handbook →Hours are the survey’s yearly average. Check the library’s own site for today’s hours.
Libraries next door
Northford ranks 5th of 7 for borrowing per resident. Tap a town to see its library.
| Town | Library | Loans per resident | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Durham | Durham Public Library | 16.6 | 57 |
| Guilford | Guilford Free Library | 13.2 | 61 |
| Wallingford | Wallingford Public Library fine-free | 9.9 | 65 |
| North Haven | North Haven Memorial Library fine-free | 8.1 | 52 |
| Northford | Edward Smith Library fine-free | 8.0 | 54 |
| North Branford | North Branford Library Department fine-free | 8.0 | 54 |
| East Haven | Hagaman Memorial Library fine-free | 2.5 | 48 |
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 Northford.
Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.
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.