Library · Boston
Boston Free Library
Boston’s library is the Boston Free Library, a branch of Boston Free Library, open about 33 hours a week.
IMLS Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024Multi-county system. Boston’s branch belongs to Boston Free Library, which serves 11,069 people. The yearly numbers below are for the whole system, not just this branch. A card works at every branch.
Your branch
Boston Free Library
9475 Boston State Road, Boston 14025
33 hrsopen a week
3,331sq ft
Fine-freeNo late fees on books returned late
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 Boston Free Library
15K
visits
1.4 per resident
37K
loans, print + digital
3.3 per resident
166
programs & events
2,856 attended
2,581
library cards
23% of people served
How it compares
Against libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000 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
1.4 visits · typical 3.1
Lower than most similar-size libraries (19th percentile)
Borrowing per resident
3.3 print items · typical 3.9
A little below typical (42th percentile)
Kids’ borrowing
1.4 kids’ items · typical 1.8
A little below typical (41th percentile)
Program attendance
0.3 attendees · typical 0.4
A little below typical (28th percentile)
Cardholders
23% of residents
Lower than most similar-size libraries (19th percentile)
Borrowing & programs
What people use it for
What people borrow
37K loans last year
Books & media (adults)58%Kids’ books & media42%E-books, audio & streaming0%
Who the programs are for
166 story times, classes, clubs and events
Money
Who pays for it
$17 per resident a year
Typical for a library this size: $43. Operating budget $187K.
Local 93%State 2%Gifts & other 5%
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.