Library · Ocean

Waretown Branch Library

Ocean’s library is the Waretown Branch Library, a branch of Ocean County Library, open about 43 hours a week.

IMLS Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024
County system. Ocean’s branch belongs to Ocean County Library, which serves 636,202 people. The yearly numbers below are for the whole system, not just this branch. A card works at every branch.
Your branch

Waretown Branch Library

112 Main Street, Waretown 08758
43 hrsopen a week
4,566sq 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 Ocean County Library

1.5M
visits
2.4 per resident
4.1M
loans, print + digital
6.5 per resident
15K
programs & events
335K attended
200K
library cards
31% of people served
How it compares

Against libraries serving 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
2.4 visits · typical 2.1
Higher than 61% of similar-size libraries
Borrowing per resident
5.1 print items · typical 3.2
Higher than 71% of similar-size libraries
Digital borrowing
1.4 e-items · typical 1.4
Higher than 51% of similar-size libraries
Kids’ borrowing
2.5 kids’ items · typical 1.6
Higher than 70% of similar-size libraries
Program attendance
0.5 attendees · typical 0.2
Top 10% of similar-size libraries
Cardholders
31% of residents
A little below typical (29th percentile)
Borrowing & programs

What people use it for

What people borrow

4.1M loans last year

Books & media (adults)39%Kids’ books & media39%E-books, audio & streaming22%

Who the programs are for

14,768 story times, classes, clubs and events

Ages 0–5
1,750
Ages 6–11
1,556
Teens
1,420
Adults
7,367
All ages
2,675
Money

Who pays for it

$73 per resident a year

Typical for a library this size: $36. Operating budget $47M.

Local 99%State 1%Gifts & other 1%
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.

The porch light’s on

Where to, neighbor?

You’re in Ocean, NJOcean CountyView boundary

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Ocean is your selected town. The feed includes posts assigned to this town, not a distance radius or ZIP code.

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Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/15 · 2025-01-01