Library · Lower
Lower Cape Branch
Lower’s library is the Lower Cape Branch, a branch of Cape May County Library, open about 57 hours a week.
IMLS Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024County system. Lower’s branch belongs to Cape May County Library, which serves 82,791 people. The yearly numbers below are for the whole system, not just this branch. A card works at every branch.
Your branch
Lower Cape Branch
2600 Bay Shore Road, Villas 08251
57 hrsopen a week
10,170sq ft
Fine-freeNo late fees on books returned late
E-books & audiobooksBorrow from home with your card
Auto-renews loansBooks renew on their own if no one’s waiting
Research databasesOnline courses, journals, genealogy and more
Fiscal year 2024
A year at Cape May County Library
385K
visits
4.6 per resident
585K
loans, print + digital
7.1 per resident
2,987
programs & events
47K attended
74K
library cards
90% of people served
How it compares
Against libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people
Per-resident numbers, compared only with libraries of a similar size across the country, because a tiny town’s library always looks busier per person.
Visits per resident
4.6 visits · typical 2.6
Higher than 84% of similar-size libraries
Borrowing per resident
4.6 print items · typical 3.7
Higher than 59% of similar-size libraries
Digital borrowing
2.4 e-items · typical 1.2
Higher than 80% of similar-size libraries
Kids’ borrowing
1.5 kids’ items · typical 1.7
A little below typical (45th percentile)
Program attendance
0.6 attendees · typical 0.3
Higher than 78% of similar-size libraries
Cardholders
90% of residents
Top 10% of similar-size libraries
Borrowing & programs
What people use it for
What people borrow
585K loans last year
Books & media (adults)45%Kids’ books & media21%E-books, audio & streaming34%
Who the programs are for
2,987 story times, classes, clubs and events
Money
Who pays for it
$128 per resident a year
Typical for a library this size: $40. Operating budget $11M.
Local 98%State 0%Gifts & other 2%
About these numbers
How to read this page
Hours are an averageThe 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.
One year, the library’s own countLibraries report their own visits, loans and programs for fiscal year 2024. A library that didn’t respond keeps its address and hours here, with no numbers.
Source: Institute of Museum and Library Services, Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024. Distances are straight-line from the town center.