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Library · Whitmore Lake

Northfield Township Area Library

Northfield Township Area Library serves 8,697 people in and around Whitmore Lake. Last year it lent 76K books, movies and e-books and logged 19K visits.

125 Barker Road, Whitmore Lake 48189 · about 49 hours a week
Borrowed a year
76K
8.7 per resident
Visits a year
19K
2.1 per resident · Below typical (3)
Programs & events
539
about 10 a week · 7,780 attended
Cardholders
60%
5,239 cards
Open
49 hrs
a week

What stands out about Northfield Township Area Library

Read from the library’s own yearly report. The page puts what stands out first.

★ What stands out · Kids & programs

About 6 kids’ programs a week

Story times, clubs, classes and events, by who they’re for.

Schools in Whitmore Lake →

Programs last year by age group

Ages 0–5196
Ages 6–1191
Teens54
Adults192
All ages6
Little ones
3.8

story times and programs a week for ages 0–5, on average.

37K
kids’ books & media borrowed
7,780
people at programs
539
programs
What people borrow

Almost half the print loans are kids’ books

76K loans last year: print, kids’ and digital.

76Kloans
Books & media (adults) 51%Kids’ books & media 49%E-books, audio & streaming 0%
How hard the shelves work
2.9×

Each of the 26K books and other items on the shelves went out about 2.9 times last year, on average.

From your couch

Borrow from home with your card, plus research databases: courses, journals, genealogy and more.

A year at the library

Every hour the doors are open, about 30 items go out

Fiscal year 2024. The library’s own count.

19K
visits
2.1 per resident
76K
loans, print + digital
8.7 per resident
539
programs & events
7,780 attended
5,239
library cards
60% of people served
Every open hour3items borrowed
Every week150people at a program
Every day67Wi-Fi sessions
6 staff (full-time equivalent)12 public computers26K books & media on the shelves
What your card is worth

For every $1 it spends, the library lends about $2.61 worth

Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Whitmore Lake cardholder borrows.

In a month I’d use…
Books$17 each
1
Kids’ books$12 each
1
E-books & audio$15 each
0
Movies & music$4 each
0
Programs & classes$10 a program
0
Computer & Wi-Fi$3 a session
0
Your card saves you about
$0
a year at retail prices · $0 a month

Who pays for it
$55 per resident a year

Typical for a library this size: $43. Operating budget $482K.

Local taxes 98%State 2%

Last year the library lent and hosted about $1.3M worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $482K 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 5,239 cardholders ÷ 12.

How it compares

Ahead of most similar-size libraries on 3 of 7 measures

Per resident, against libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people across the U.S. A tiny town’s library always looks busier per person, so it’s only compared with its own size.

Visits per resident 2.1 visits · typical 3Lower than 64%
Borrowing per resident 8.7 print items · typical 3.8Higher than 88%
Kids’ borrowing 4.3 kids’ items · typical 1.6Higher than 87%
Program attendance 0.9 attendees · typical 0.5Higher than 74%
Programs offered 62 per 1,000 residents · typical 34Higher than 76%
Cardholders 60% of residents · typical 42%Higher than 72%
Spending $55 per resident · typical $43Higher than 66%
Fewer per residentMore per resident
In Michigan
#249 of 391

library systems for visits per resident.

Size group

Northfield Township Area Library serves 8,697 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000.

The building

Find it

Northfield Township Area Library, 125 Barker Road, Whitmore Lake.

49
hours open a week
4,300
square feet
26K
books & media
With a card

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 Whitmore Lake? The Handbook →

Hours are the survey’s yearly average. Check the library’s own site for today’s hours.

Next door

Libraries next door

Who has a library of their own, and how much each town borrows. Tap a town to see its library.

12+ loans per resident8–124–8Under 4No library / shared system
TownLibraryLoans per residentHours
Whitmore LakeNorthfield Township Area Library fine-free8.749
NorthfieldNorthfield Township Area Library fine-free8.749
WebsterNone of its own——
Green OakNone 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 Whitmore Lake.

Town Square →
Weigh in
Is Northfield Township Area Library one of the best things about Whitmore Lake?

Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.

Start a conversation

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.

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