Brooks Free Library
Brooks Free Library serves 13,373 people in and around Harwich Center. Last year it lent 195K books, movies and e-books and logged 84K visits.
Harwich Center’s library, in brief
Harwich Center uses its library more than almost any town its size
Brooks Free Library logs 6.3 visits per resident, against a typical 3.1 for libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000 people, and lends 15 print items per resident against a typical 3.9. On both counts it beats 87% of similar-size libraries across the U.S. How it compares ↓
Twice the programs of a typical library its size
Brooks Free Library ran 840 programs last year, about 16 a week. That’s 63 per 1,000 residents, against a typical 24. People show up: 17,000 attended. Kids & programs ↓
Kids borrow more here than almost anywhere
Children’s books and media are 36% of print loans, and kids’ borrowing per resident is higher than at 90% of similar-size libraries. Kids & programs ↓
Brooks Free Library serves more than Harwich Center
The library’s service area covers 13,373 people in and around Harwich Center, so its per-resident numbers are measured against that wider population. How it compares ↓
Programs lean toward adults
50% of the 840 programs last year were for adults: classes, talks, clubs and events. 334 were for children. Kids & programs ↓
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.
Books and media off the shelf
195K print loans last year. The library didn’t report its e-book and e-audiobook loans.
Each of the 73K books and other items on the shelves went out about 2.7 times last year, on average.
Borrow from home with your card, plus research databases: courses, journals, genealogy and more.
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 82 items go out
Fiscal year 2024. The library’s own count.
Ahead of most similar-size libraries on 7 of 7 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.
Brooks Free Library serves 13,373 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000.
For every $1 it spends, the library lends about $2.40 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Harwich Center cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $43. Operating budget $1.4M.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $3.3M worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $1.4M 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 10,236 cardholders ÷ 12.
Find it
Brooks Free Library, 739 Main Street, Harwich.
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 Harwich Center? The Handbook →Hours are the survey’s yearly average. Check the library’s own site for today’s hours.
Libraries next door
Harwich Center ranks 2nd of 3 for borrowing per resident. Tap a town to see its library.
| Town | Library | Loans per resident | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harwich Port | Harwich Port Library Assoc. fine-free | 18.0 | 13 |
| Harwich Center | Brooks Free Library fine-free | 14.6 | 46 |
| Northwest Harwich | Chase Library Assoc., Inc. fine-free | 7.8 | 10 |
| East Harwich | None of its own | — | — |
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 Harwich Center.
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.