Bala Cynwyd Memorial Library
Lower Merion Library System serves 63,633 people in and around Bala Cynwyd. Last year it lent 1.2M books, movies and e-books and logged 557K visits.
The short version on Bala Cynwyd’s library
Bala Cynwyd uses its library more than almost any town its size
Lower Merion Library System logs 8.8 visits per resident, against a typical 2.6 for libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people, and lends 15 print items per resident against a typical 3.7. On both counts it beats 97% of similar-size libraries across the U.S. How it compares ↓
More than half the print loans are for kids
Children’s books and media are 55% of print loans, and kids’ borrowing per resident is higher than at 98% of similar-size libraries. Kids & programs ↓
Big on e-books and audiobooks
Digital borrowing runs 3.1 e-items per resident, against a typical 1.2, higher than at 89% of similar-size libraries. It’s 17% of all loans. What people borrow ↓
Lower Merion Library System serves more than Bala Cynwyd
The library’s service area covers 63,633 people in and around Bala Cynwyd, so its per-resident numbers are measured against that wider population. How it compares ↓
Bala Cynwyd invests in its library
Lower Merion Library System spends $108 per resident a year, about twice the typical $40 for a library its size. What your card is worth ↓
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.
Every hour the doors are open, about 67 items go out
Fiscal year 2024. The library’s own count.
About 17 kids’ programs a week
Story times, clubs, classes and events, by who they’re for.
Programs last year by age group
story times and programs a week for ages 0–5, on average.
More than half the print loans are kids’ books
1.2M loans last year: print, kids’ and digital.
Each of the 469K books and other items on the shelves went out about 2 times last year, on average.
198,974 e-books, e-audiobooks and streams last year. Borrow from home with your card, plus research databases: courses, journals, genealogy and more.
For every $1 it spends, the library lends about $2.52 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Bala Cynwyd cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $40. Operating budget $6.9M.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $17M worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $6.9M 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 39,862 cardholders ÷ 12.
Ahead of most similar-size libraries on 8 of 8 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 25,000 to 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.
library systems for visits per resident.
Lower Merion Library System serves 63,633 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000.
Find it
Bala Cynwyd Memorial Library, 131 Old Lancaster Road, Bala Cynwyd.
E-books and audiobooks from home. Loans renew on their own if no one’s waiting. Research databases: courses, journals, genealogy.
New in Bala Cynwyd? The Handbook →Hours are the survey’s yearly average. Check the library’s own site for today’s hours.
Libraries next door
Who has a library of their own, and how much each town borrows. Tap a town to see its library.
| Town | Library | Loans per resident | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bala Cynwyd | Bala Cynwyd Memorial Library | 18.2 | 60 |
| Lower Merion | Ludington Public Library | 18.2 | 66 |
| Philadelphia | Free Library of Philadelphia fine-free | — | 49 |
| Merion Station | None 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 Bala Cynwyd.
Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.
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.