Library · Cambridge

Cambridge Public Library District

Cambridge’s library is the Cambridge Public Library District, a branch of Cambridge Public Library District, open about 47 hours a week.

IMLS Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024
School-district system. Cambridge’s branch belongs to Cambridge Public Library District, which serves 2,875 people. The yearly numbers below are for the whole system, not just this branch. A card works at every branch.
Your branch

Cambridge Public Library District

212 West Center Street, Cambridge 61238
47 hrsopen a week
9,892sq ft
Charges late finesLate fees on some overdue items
Fiscal year 2024

A year at Cambridge Public Library District

6,801
visits
2.4 per resident
10K
loans, print + digital
3.6 per resident
53
programs & events
511 attended
503
library cards
17% 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
2.4 visits · typical 3.0
A little below typical (40th percentile)
Borrowing per resident
3.6 print items · typical 3.8
A little below typical (47th percentile)
Program attendance
0.2 attendees · typical 0.5
Lower than most similar-size libraries (19th percentile)
Cardholders
17% of residents
Lower than most similar-size libraries (11th percentile)
Borrowing & programs

What people use it for

What people borrow

10K loans last year

Books & media (adults)100%Kids’ books & media0%E-books, audio & streaming0%

Who the programs are for

53 story times, classes, clubs and events

Ages 0–5
23
Ages 6–11
9
Teens
1
Adults
16
All ages
4
Money

Who pays for it

$78 per resident a year

Typical for a library this size: $43. Operating budget $225K.

Local 93%State 5%Gifts & other 2%
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.

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Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/18 · 2025-01-01