Mathews Memorial Library

What Mathews Memorial Library does

Mathews Memorial Library is the public library serving Mathews County, Virginia, a rural community on the Middle Peninsula. Established in 1939 and operated as a county-funded non-profit institution under a Board of Trustees, the library offers free lending services, public computer and Wi-Fi access, meeting room facilities, youth and teen programming, career assistance, and an extensive local history and genealogy archive (Chesapeake Room and Herman Hollerith Archives, housing 780+ distinct historical collections). It operates from a single headquarters at 251 Main Street, Mathews, VA, and is staffed by approximately 9 individuals under Director Bette Dillehay, supported by 880+ volunteer hours annually. As of January 2025 the library serves 11,137 registered patrons, with daily foot traffic averaging 82–200+ and 40,000 print/audio books, 46,000 e-books, 109 periodicals, and 53 public computers in circulation.

The library's technology backbone is a conventional public-library stack: the Agverso catalog and patron-account system, the Data Vision digital-archives platform, and the E-Branch portal aggregating roughly 30 third-party digital services across downloadable media (Libby, Kanopy, Freegal, Freading, Magzter), genealogy (Ancestry Library Edition, HeritageQuest, Fold3, FamilySearch, Newspapers.com), workforce (Brainfuse JobNow/HelpNow/VetNow, Virginia Workforce Connection), and learning (Universal Class, Transparent Language, GCFGlobal, DigitalLearn). Notable technology-enabled services include Wi-Fi To Go hotspot lending (50 units, launched 2020 in partnership with Verizon) and an accessible website with screen-reader support, contrast controls, and content scaling. The product portfolio functions as an integrated public-service ecosystem rather than a modular platform architecture.

The library has no commercial revenue model. It is funded primarily through Mathews County Government appropriations (proposed FY24/25 budget $575,903.78 including salaries; proposed FY25/26 operating budget $530,193), supplemented by Library of Virginia State Aid ($104,326 annually), grants, and donations channeled through the Friends of the Mathews Library (which has raised nearly $1M for prior expansions and supports ongoing programming). All services are free to residents; the sole commercial go-to-market motion is community-led outreach through schools, churches, senior centers, and the Mathews Main Street Committee. Patron growth is approximately 2.4% annually, and digital circulation has overtaken print circulation by more than 2x, signaling ongoing structural shift toward digital service delivery within the existing single-county footprint.

Name

Mathews Memorial Library

Legal name

Mathews Memorial Library

Website

https://mathewslibrary.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1939

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Mathews Memorial Library is the publicly funded county library serving Mathews County, Virginia residents, offering free lending, digital resources, youth and teen programming, career assistance, and a 780+ collection local history and genealogy archive.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Library Services

NAICS

Libraries and Archives (519210), Libraries and Archives (51921)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Libraries & Information Services (BPAIACAO)

akta.pro secondary industries

Libraries, Archives & Special Collections (BPAGAHAF), Public Library Operations & Community Branch Management (EDAEAGAC), Library User Services & Information Support (Reference, Research Help, Instruction Support) (EDAEAGAL), Library-Based Learning Programs (Public Libraries) (EDAAAFAA)

Keywords

• Public library services
• Digital library resources
• Community education programs
• Historical genealogy archives
• Youth library services

Headquarters

HQ city

Mathews

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Public Funding: Primary funding from Mathews County Government appropriations and Library of Virginia State Aid. FY24/25 budget of $401,453.78 for salaries, with total proposed FY25/26 budget of $530,193.00.
2. Donations and Grants: Supplemental funding from Friends of the Mathews Library, community foundation grants, Virginia Commission for the Arts grants, and various federal/state grants for specific programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Mathews Memorial Library provides free public library services to Mathews County, Virginia residents, including physical lending of books and audiovisual materials, public computer and Wi-Fi access, meeting room reservations, youth and teen programming, digital lending of e-books/e-audiobooks and streaming media, genealogy and local history research support, employment and career assistance, and digital literacy training. All services are offered free of charge to community members with a library card.

Product overview

Mathews Memorial Library is a public library system serving Mathews County, Virginia, offering a unified suite of services combining traditional library operations with extensive digital resources. The core offerings include physical material lending (books, AV materials), public computer access, meeting room facilities, and dedicated youth/teen programming. Digital services are delivered through the E-Branch platform, providing access to research databases (Explora, Gale Legal Forms, A to Z series), genealogy resources (Ancestry Library Edition, HeritageQuest, Fold3), downloadable media (Libby, Kanopy, Freegal, Freading, Magzter), job assistance (Brainfuse JobNow/VetNow, Virginia Workforce Connection), and educational platforms (Universal Class, GCFGlobal, DigitalLearn, Brainfuse HelpNow). The library also maintains a significant archival collection in the Chesapeake Room/Hollerith Archival Center with digitized historical records. Additional services include Wi-Fi hotspot lending, digital literacy training, and community meeting spaces. The product portfolio functions as an integrated public service ecosystem rather than a modular platform architecture.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• E-Branch: Digital services library providing online access to e-books, e-audiobooks, digital magazines, music streaming, video streaming, research databases, genealogy resources, and learning platforms.
• Teen Territory
• KidSpace
• Career Connect Center (C3)
• Chesapeake Room and Herman Hollerith Archives

Products and services

• Library Catalog and Patron Account System

Quantifiable outcome

• Digital circulation has exceeded traditional hard copy circulation - over 2x more digital/e-books than print copies in recent periods
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration37 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Friends of the Mathews LibrarycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary fundraising and advocacy organization for the library. Funded major renovations (over $1 million) and expansion projects. Supports all programs through donations and operates book store. Provided $6,190.89 for 2022 summer programs and $2,600 for 2023 holiday events.
• Mathews County GovernmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCounty owns library facility and provides primary funding through annual appropriations. Buildings and Grounds Maintenance Department maintains facility. County Administrator oversees budget and operations.
• Library of VirginiacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState library agency providing State Aid funding ($104,326 annually), access to professional staff, training opportunities, databases (Find It Virginia, Literati, Document Bank of Virginia), and digitization support including wide-format scanner and software.
• Mathews County Historical SocietycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for archival collections housed in Hollerith Archival Center. Joint digitization projects and access to over 780 distinct historical document collections spanning pre-revolutionary war materials.
• Mathews County Public SchoolscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnnual Dictionary Project for 3rd graders (18 years running), school visits, Parent Resource Center housed in library for special needs resources, and joint youth programming including summer activities.
• Virginia Symphony OrchestraminorGTM or Marketing PartnerYouth and family concerts held at library including horn quartet performances. Funded by Community Foundation. Programs tagged 'Subs n'Symphony' and 'Classics and Cocoa.'
• Mathews Main Street CommitteeminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCollaborates on community events including Howl-a-Palooza parade coordination with local merchants for Halloween activities.
• Virginia Employment Commission (VEC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Career Connect Center providing job search assistance, unemployment benefits access, and employment resources. Operating since 2008 with assistance available weekly.
• Mathews Maritime FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for 'Digital Days' digitization projects to preserve historical and family records for Mathews residents.
• Mathews Broadband Advisory BoardminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCounty committee working on broadband deployment supporting the library's Wi-Fi hotspot lending program and digital equity initiatives.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• Middle Peninsula Public Library (via Gloucester Library): Neighboring public library on the Middle Peninsula of Virginia, serving Gloucester County. Comparable in offering traditional lending, digital resources, genealogy, and youth programming; serves an adjacent geography rather than directly overlapping Mathews County.

Others

• OverDrive / Libby: Digital lending platform that powers Mathews Memorial Library's e-book and e-audiobook circulation through Libby. Comparable as an enabling infrastructure provider in the public library digital distribution ecosystem.
• Friends of Libraries USA (FOLUSA/United for Libraries): National umbrella organization supporting Friends of the Library groups, including the Friends of the Mathews Memorial Library. Comparable as a peer ecosystem organization that materially shapes library fundraising and advocacy capacity.
• Kanopy: Streaming video service offered through Mathews Memorial Library's digital branch. Comparable as an enabling platform for public library digital media distribution; thematic adjacency rather than direct competitor.
• Ancestry Library Edition: Genealogy database accessed through Mathews Memorial Library for in-library use. Comparable as a key digital research resource underpinning the library's history and genealogy services.

Direct peers

• Blackwater Regional Library: Regional public library system serving Isle of Wight, Southampton, Surry, and Sussex counties in rural Virginia. Closely comparable in scale and mission, with similar youth/teen programming, digital lending, and rural digital-divide initiatives like hotspot lending.
• Pamunkey Regional Library: Regional library system serving neighboring Virginia counties on the Middle Peninsula/Rappahannock area. Directly comparable as a rural public library network providing similar physical lending, digital branches, genealogy, youth/teen programming, and interlibrary loan support.

Broad incumbents

• Library of Virginia: State-level library agency that provides State Aid funding, databases (Find It Virginia, Literati), digitization support, and professional training to Mathews Memorial Library. Operates at a much larger scale as Virginia's state library, with overlapping service domains (digital resources, archival preservation, professional development).

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCFmSB3SgnQPQFpP3cngUgoA
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mathews-memorial-library

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Mathews Memorial Library