Chase Library Assoc., Inc.
Chase Library Assoc., Inc. serves 137 people in and around Northwest Harwich. Last year it lent 1,066 books, movies and e-books and logged 1,252 visits.
Northwest Harwich’s library, in brief
More library cards than residents
282 cards for 137 people. Cards held by people from outside the service area count too, so the total can pass the population. At the typical library serving under 2,500 people, it’s 54%. How it compares ↓
Seven times the programs of a typical library its size
Chase Library Assoc., Inc. ran 56 programs last year, about 1 a week. That’s 409 per 1,000 residents, against a typical 60. People show up: 353 attended. Kids & programs ↓
Open only about 10 hours a week
Chase Library Assoc., Inc. keeps short hours: about 10 a week, averaged over the year, so check its schedule before you go. Brooks Free Library in Harwich, next door, is open about 46 hours a week. The building ↓
Every town next door borrows more
Northwest Harwich’s library lends 7.8 items per resident. Each of the six neighboring towns with a library of its own lends more, led by Dennis at 31. Libraries next door ↓
A small-town library
Chase Library Assoc., Inc. serves 137 residents with about one full-time staff. It’s compared only with libraries serving under 2,500 people, because per-person numbers always look big in a small town. A year at the library ↓
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; in a town this small, one busy program or a few avid readers move the per-resident numbers.
56 programs a year
Story times, clubs, classes and events, by who they’re for.
Programs last year by age group
Ahead of most similar-size libraries on 6 of 7 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.
library systems for visits per resident.
Chase Library Assoc., Inc. serves 137 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving under 2,500.
Every hour the doors are open, about 2 items go out
Fiscal year 2024. The library’s own count.
For every $1 it spends, the library lends about $1.19 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Northwest Harwich cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $54. Operating budget $18K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $21K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $18K 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 282 cardholders ÷ 12.
A National Register landmark since 2014
Chase Library Assoc., Inc., 7 Main St., West Harwich.
Hours are the survey’s yearly average. Check the library’s own site for today’s hours.
Chase Library
Chase Library was added to the National Register of Historic Places on Dec 29, 2014. It is significant for its architecture and social history at the local level.
Chase Library is the public library of West Harwich, Massachusetts. It is located in a small architecturally distinguished Colonial Revival building constructed in 1911.
More about the building →Books and media off the shelf
1,066 print loans last year. The library didn’t report its e-book and e-audiobook loans.
Each of the 7,140 books and other items on the shelves went out about 0.1 time last year, on average.
Libraries next door
Northwest Harwich ranks 7th of 7 for borrowing per resident. Tap a town to see its library.
| Town | Library | Loans per resident | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dennis | Dennis Memorial Library Assoc. fine-free | 31.1 | 34 |
| Harwich Port | Harwich Port Library Assoc. fine-free | 18.0 | 13 |
| Harwich | Brooks Free Library fine-free | 14.6 | 46 |
| Harwich Center | Brooks Free Library fine-free | 14.6 | 46 |
| Brewster | Brewster Ladies' Library fine-free | 13.8 | 40 |
| Dennis Port | Dennis Public Library | 7.9 | 37 |
| 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 Northwest Harwich.
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. Building history: National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. “What your card is worth” uses typical retail prices and is an estimate, not an official figure.