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Library · Iselin

Iselin Branch

Woodbridge Public Library serves 103,639 people in and around Iselin. Last year it lent 375K books, movies and e-books and logged 245K visits.

1081 Green St., Iselin 08830 · about 52 hours a week
Borrowed a year
375K
3.6 per resident
Visits a year
245K
2.4 per resident · Above typical (2.1)
Programs & events
1,956
about 38 a week · 30K attended
Cardholders
23%
23,766 cards
Open
52 hrs
a week
In brief

The short version on Iselin’s library

Woodbridge Public Library serves more than Iselin

The library’s service area covers 103,639 people in and around Iselin, so its per-resident numbers are measured against that wider population. How it compares ↓

Kids’ books are most of what goes out

Children’s books and media make up 63% of print loans. Per resident, kids’ borrowing is higher than at 57% of similar-size libraries. What people borrow ↓

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.

★ What stands out · Kids & programs

About 24 kids’ programs a week

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

Schools in Iselin →

Programs last year by age group

Ages 0–561
Ages 6–111,172
Teens158
Adults565
All ages0
Little ones
1.2

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

194K
kids’ books & media borrowed
30K
people at programs
1,956
programs
A year at the library

Every hour the doors are open, about 42 items go out

Fiscal year 2024. The library’s own count.

245K
visits
2.4 per resident
375K
loans, print + digital
3.6 per resident
1,956
programs & events
30K attended
24K
library cards
23% of people served
Every open hour42items borrowed
Every week575people at a program
Every day92Wi-Fi sessions
51 staff (full-time equivalent)75 public computers362K books & media on the shelves
How it compares

Strongest at programs offered

Per resident, against libraries serving 100,000+ 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 2.4 visits · typical 2.1Higher than 59%
Borrowing per resident 3 print items · typical 3.2Lower than 54%
Digital borrowing 0.6 e-items · typical 1.4Lower than 78%
Kids’ borrowing 1.9 kids’ items · typical 1.6Higher than 57%
Program attendance 0.3 attendees · typical 0.2Higher than 68%
Programs offered 18.9 per 1,000 residents · typical 9Higher than 87%
Cardholders 23% of residents · typical 42%Lower than 82%
Spending $61 per resident · typical $36Higher than 78%
Fewer per residentMore per resident
In New Jersey
#163 of 264

library systems for visits per resident.

Size group

Woodbridge Public Library serves 103,639 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 100,000+.

What people borrow

More than half the print loans are kids’ books

375K loans last year: print, kids’ and digital.

375Kloans
Books & media (adults) 31%Kids’ books & media 52%E-books, audio & streaming 17%
How hard the shelves work
0.9×

Each of the 362K books and other items on the shelves went out about 0.9 time last year, on average.

From your couch

64,647 e-books, e-audiobooks and streams last year. Borrow from home with your card, plus research databases: courses, journals, genealogy and more.

What your card is worth

What a library card is worth

Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Iselin 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
$61 per resident a year

Typical for a library this size: $36. Operating budget $6.3M.

Local taxes 98%State 1%Gifts & other 1%

Last year the library lent and hosted about $5.7M worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $6.3M budget.

Late fines apply to some overdue items.

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 23,766 cardholders ÷ 12.

The building

Find it

Iselin Branch, 1081 Green St., Iselin.

52
hours open a week
9,000
square feet
362K
books & media
With a card

E-books and audiobooks from home. Loans renew on their own if no one’s waiting. Research databases: courses, journals, genealogy.

New in Iselin? The Handbook →

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

Next door

Libraries next door

Iselin ranks 2nd of 3 for borrowing per resident. Tap a town to see its library.

12+ loans per resident8–124–8Under 4No library / shared system
TownLibraryLoans per residentHours
EdisonEdison Twsp. Free Public Lib fine-free5.668
IselinIselin Branch3.652
WoodbridgeWoodbridge Public Library3.668
ColoniaNone of its own——
Menlo Park TerraceNone 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 Iselin.

Town Square →
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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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