Library · Salem
Salem Free Public Library
Salem’s library is the Salem Free Public Library, a branch of Salem Free Public Library, open about 40 hours a week.
IMLS Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024Multi-county system. Salem’s branch belongs to Salem Free Public Library, which serves 6,551 people. The yearly numbers below are for the whole system, not just this branch. A card works at every branch.
Your branch
Salem Free Public Library
264 Hartford Rd., Salem 06420
40 hrsopen a week
7,840sq ft
Charges late finesLate fees on some overdue items
E-books & audiobooksBorrow from home with your card
Auto-renews loansBooks renew on their own if no one’s waiting
Research databasesOnline courses, journals, genealogy and more
Fiscal year 2024
A year at Salem Free Public Library
14K
visits
2.2 per resident
42K
loans, print + digital
6.4 per resident
212
programs & events
2,393 attended
1,421
library cards
22% of people served
How it compares
Against libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people
Per-resident numbers, compared only with libraries of a similar size across the country, because a tiny town’s library always looks busier per person.
Visits per resident
2.2 visits · typical 3.0
A little below typical (36th percentile)
Borrowing per resident
5.5 print items · typical 3.8
Higher than 69% of similar-size libraries
Digital borrowing
0.9 e-items · typical 1.0
A little below typical (46th percentile)
Kids’ borrowing
2.0 kids’ items · typical 1.6
Higher than 59% of similar-size libraries
Program attendance
0.4 attendees · typical 0.5
A little below typical (38th percentile)
Cardholders
22% of residents
Lower than most similar-size libraries (17th percentile)
Borrowing & programs
What people use it for
What people borrow
42K loans last year
Books & media (adults)55%Kids’ books & media31%E-books, audio & streaming14%
Who the programs are for
212 story times, classes, clubs and events
Money
Who pays for it
$41 per resident a year
Typical for a library this size: $43. Operating budget $267K.
Local 90%State 1%Federal 1%Gifts & other 8%
About these numbers
How to read this page
Hours are an averageThe 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.
One year, the library’s own countLibraries report their own visits, loans and programs for fiscal year 2024. A library that didn’t respond keeps its address and hours here, with no numbers.
Source: Institute of Museum and Library Services, Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024. Distances are straight-line from the town center.