West Falmouth Library, Inc.
West Falmouth Library, Inc. serves 332 people in and around West Falmouth. Last year it lent 26K books, movies and e-books and logged 21K visits.
The short version on West Falmouth’s library
More library cards than residents
953 cards for 332 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 ↓
Mostly paid for by gifts, not taxes
92% of the library’s income comes from gifts, endowments, fees and other sources, not taxes. Local taxes cover 8%. What your card is worth ↓
West Falmouth uses its library more than almost any town its size
West Falmouth Library, Inc. logs 63 visits per resident, against a typical 3.5 for libraries serving under 2,500 people, and lends 77 print items per resident against a typical 3.9. On both counts it beats 99% of similar-size libraries across the U.S. How it compares ↓
15 times the programs of a typical library its size
West Falmouth Library, Inc. ran 292 programs last year, about 6 a week. That’s 880 per 1,000 residents, against a typical 60. People show up: 3,782 attended. Kids & programs ↓
Kids borrow more here than almost anywhere
Children’s books and media are 24% of print loans, and kids’ borrowing per resident is higher than at 99% of similar-size libraries. 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; in a town this small, one busy program or a few avid readers move the per-resident numbers.
About 1 kids’ program 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 17 items go out
Fiscal year 2024. The library’s own count.
Books and media off the shelf
26K print loans last year. The library didn’t report its e-book and e-audiobook loans.
Each of the 13K books and other items on the shelves went out about 2 times last year, on average.
Borrow from home with your card, plus research databases: courses, journals, genealogy and more.
Ahead of most similar-size libraries on 7 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.
West Falmouth Library, Inc. serves 332 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving under 2,500.
For every $1 it spends, the library lends about $1.59 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average West Falmouth cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $54. Operating budget $288K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $459K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $288K 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 953 cardholders ÷ 12.
Find it
West Falmouth Library, Inc., 575 West Falmouth Hghwy., West Falmouth.
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 West Falmouth? The Handbook →Hours are the survey’s yearly average. Check the library’s own site for today’s hours.
Libraries next door
West Falmouth borrows the most per resident of the 3 towns here. Tap a town to see its library.
| Town | Library | Loans per resident | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Falmouth | West Falmouth Library, Inc. fine-free | 77.3 | 29 |
| North Falmouth | North Falmouth Branch Library fine-free | 11.5 | 19 |
| Falmouth | Falmouth Public Library fine-free | 11.5 | 96 |
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 West Falmouth.
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.