Library · Worcester
Worcester Free Library
Worcester’s library is the Worcester Free Library, a branch of Worcester Free Library, open about 35 hours a week.
IMLS Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024School-district system. Worcester’s branch belongs to Worcester Free Library, which serves 2,354 people. The yearly numbers below are for the whole system, not just this branch. A card works at every branch.
Your branch
Worcester Free Library
170 Main Street, Worcester 12197
35 hrsopen a week
2,400sq 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 Worcester Free Library
7,360
visits
3.1 per resident
13K
loans, print + digital
5.4 per resident
281
programs & events
2,507 attended
829
library cards
35% of people served
How it compares
Against libraries serving under 2,500 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
3.1 visits · typical 3.5
A little below typical (45th percentile)
Borrowing per resident
5.1 print items · typical 3.9
Higher than 62% of similar-size libraries
Digital borrowing
0.3 e-items · typical 1.0
A little below typical (29th percentile)
Kids’ borrowing
2.0 kids’ items · typical 1.4
Higher than 63% of similar-size libraries
Program attendance
1.1 attendees · typical 0.7
Higher than 65% of similar-size libraries
Cardholders
35% of residents
A little below typical (30th percentile)
Borrowing & programs
What people use it for
What people borrow
13K loans last year
Books & media (adults)58%Kids’ books & media36%E-books, audio & streaming6%
Who the programs are for
281 story times, classes, clubs and events
Money
Who pays for it
$52 per resident a year
Typical for a library this size: $54. Operating budget $123K.
Local 36%State 5%Gifts & other 59%
Locations
Other Worcester Free Library branches in Worcester
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.