Upper Dublin Public Library
Upper Dublin Public Library serves 26,665 people in and around Fort Washington. Last year it lent 419K books, movies and e-books and logged 169K visits.
What Fort Washington’s library is like
Fort Washington uses its library more than almost any town its size
Upper Dublin Public Library logs 6.3 visits per resident, against a typical 2.6 for libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people, and lends 13 print items per resident against a typical 3.7. On both counts it beats 94% 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 63% of print loans, and kids’ borrowing per resident is higher than at 97% of similar-size libraries. Kids & programs ↓
Three times the programs of a typical library its size
Upper Dublin Public Library ran 1,157 programs last year, about 22 a week. That’s 43 per 1,000 residents, against a typical 14. People show up: 29,000 attended. Kids & programs ↓
Upper Dublin Public Library serves more than Fort Washington
The library’s service area covers 26,665 people in and around Fort Washington, so its per-resident numbers are measured against that wider population. How it compares ↓
Programs lean toward adults
59% of the 1,157 programs last year were for adults: classes, talks, clubs and events. 407 were for children. Kids & programs ↓
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.
About 8 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.
Every hour the doors are open, about 128 items go out
Fiscal year 2024. The library’s own count.
More than half the print loans are kids’ books
419K loans last year: print, kids’ and digital.
Each of the 125K books and other items on the shelves went out about 2.7 times last year, on average.
76,314 e-books, e-audiobooks and streams last year. Borrow from home with your card, plus research databases: courses, journals, genealogy and more.
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.
Upper Dublin Public Library serves 26,665 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000.
For every $1 it spends, the library lends about $3.39 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Fort Washington cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $40. Operating budget $1.8M.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $6.2M worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $1.8M budget.
Fine-free. No late fees on books returned late.
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 17,180 cardholders ÷ 12.
Find it
Upper Dublin Public Library, 520 Virginia Dr., Fort Washington.
No late fees. E-books and audiobooks from home. Loans renew on their own if no one’s waiting. Research databases: courses, journals, genealogy.
New in Fort Washington? The Handbook →Hours are the survey’s yearly average. Check the library’s own site for today’s hours.
Libraries next door
Fort Washington ranks 2nd of 4 for borrowing per resident. Tap a town to see its library.
| Town | Library | Loans per resident | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Springfield | Free Library of Springfield Township | 16.6 | 62 |
| Fort Washington | Upper Dublin Public Library fine-free | 15.7 | 63 |
| Upper Dublin | Upper Dublin Public Library fine-free | 15.7 | 63 |
| Whitemarsh | William Jeanes Memorial Library fine-free | 11.4 | 50 |
| Ambler | Ambler Branch Library fine-free | — | 54 |
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 Fort Washington.
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.