Library · Bedford
Bedford Central Library
Bedford’s library is the Bedford Central Library, a branch of Bedford Public Library System, open about 52 hours a week.
IMLS Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024County system. Bedford’s branch belongs to Bedford Public Library System, which serves 79,865 people. The yearly numbers below are for the whole system, not just this branch. A card works at every branch.
Your branch
Bedford Central Library
321 North Bridge Street, Bedford 24523
52 hrsopen a week
26,500sq ft
Charges late finesLate fees on some overdue items
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 Bedford Public Library System
195K
visits
2.4 per resident
421K
loans, print + digital
5.3 per resident
1,704
programs & events
23K attended
8,086
library cards
10% of people served
How it compares
Against libraries serving 25,000 to 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 2.6
A little below typical (46th percentile)
Borrowing per resident
4.6 print items · typical 3.7
Higher than 58% of similar-size libraries
Digital borrowing
0.7 e-items · typical 1.2
A little below typical (31th percentile)
Kids’ borrowing
2.0 kids’ items · typical 1.7
Higher than 57% of similar-size libraries
Program attendance
0.3 attendees · typical 0.3
A little below typical (43th percentile)
Cardholders
10% of residents
Lower than most similar-size libraries (4th percentile)
Borrowing & programs
What people use it for
What people borrow
421K loans last year
Books & media (adults)49%Kids’ books & media38%E-books, audio & streaming13%
Who the programs are for
1,704 story times, classes, clubs and events
Money
Who pays for it
$29 per resident a year
Typical for a library this size: $40. Operating budget $2.3M.
Local 89%State 11%
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.