Congratulations on another job well done!

Thomas Hennen is to libraries what Robert Parker is to wines--a person who studies, categorizes and rates libraries based on a stringent set of objective criteria. His report, the HAPLR (Hennen's American Public Library Ratings), is released in the fall and shows a library's ranking relative to the size of its community.

As you might imagine, Dover is often in the top 10. This year (2009), the Dover Town Library is #7 in the United States for towns our size, and--drum roll, please--#1 in Massachusetts. Again.

Here is a link to the report, so you can see for yourself (and look up neighboring towns, should you be so inclined):

Hennen's criteria include elements that are partly affected by the community, such as circulation, funding, and reference questions. So, in addition to congratulating your Library on a job well done, Dover Town Library patrons should take a bow as well. You are part of the success story.

Congratulations, everyone!