Manchester Community Library

What Manchester Community Library does

Manchester Community Library is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit public library operating from a single site at 138 Cemetery Avenue in Manchester Center, Vermont. Founded in its current form on November 15, 2014, it succeeds the Mark Skinner Library established in 1897, and serves Manchester and surrounding towns in Bennington County with free access to lending collections, digital resources, and community programming for all ages. Core services include a physical lending collection, an Aspen Discovery online catalog, digital streaming (Kanopy) and e-book/audiobook access (Libby) through the Green Mountain Library Consortium, children's and teen programming (including First LEGO League robotics and coding clubs), rotating gallery exhibitions, a seed library mutual-aid project, museum and park pass lending, and meeting room rentals.

The library's technology layer is built primarily on third-party, shared library infrastructure rather than proprietary systems: Aspen Discovery for catalog and account management, Kanopy for video, Libby for digital lending, and GNAT-TV integration for the recently launched MCL Events on Demand video library. Free public Wi-Fi is provided 24/7 across the library grounds and parking lot, and the institution maintains an active presence across Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, and an email newsletter.

MCL's business model is a hybrid nonprofit funding structure with no fees charged to end users. Revenue is sourced from a Town of Manchester three-year appropriation (now an annual line item), individual donations (approximately 70% of philanthropic support, including planned giving via the Frances Skinner Willing Circle), corporate sponsorships (Orvis, Maple Capital Management, Birds & Beans Coffee, Vermont Community Foundation, and others), and project-based grants (including a 2025 NEA Big Read Grant and selection for the Yiddish Book Center's national Public Libraries Program). Customer segments are horizontal: general community members, children and families, teenagers, and veterans, with free library cards available to all residents and several eligible non-resident categories.

Name

Manchester Community Library

Legal name

Manchester Community Library

Website

https://mclvt.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Manchester Community Library is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit public library in Manchester Center, Vermont, providing free lending collections, digital resources, educational programs, gallery exhibitions, and community events to residents of Manchester and surrounding towns.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Library Services

NAICS

Libraries and Archives (51921)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Library Operations & Community Branch Management (EDAEAGAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

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

Keywords

• Public library services
• Community lending
• Children's programs
• Local history collections
• Community meeting spaces

Headquarters

HQ city

Manchester Center

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Revenue model

1. Individual Giving: Individual donations make up nearly 70 percent of total philanthropic support. Includes one-time gifts, sustaining monthly gifts, tribute/memorial gifts, IRA gifts for those 70.5+, gifts of stock, and matching funds from employers.
2. Town of Manchester Funding: MCL moved from annual appropriation requests to a stable three-year agreement with the Town of Manchester, included annually as a line item in the Town budget.
3. Corporate Sponsorships: Corporate support through sponsorship opportunities with benefits including employee library memberships, print and electronic name recognition, and use of library meeting and event spaces. Sponsors include Vermont Community Foundation, Maple Capital Management, Orvis, Birds & Beans Coffee, and others.
4. Grants: Grant funding from organizations such as the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Big Read Grant received in partnership with Merck Forest & Farmland Center.
5. Planned Giving: Legacy giving through the Frances Skinner Willing Circle, recognizing donors who have included MCL in their estate plans.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Manchester Community Library is a community library providing access to physical and digital collections, public programming, and community resources. No source-attributed details about specific collections, programs, or service offerings are available in the provided input.

Product overview

Manchester Community Library is a public library offering a unified set of services centered on physical and digital resource access. Core offerings include the Online Catalog for collection browsing, digital streaming services (Kanopy video and Libby e-books), and the MCL Events on Demand video library. The library provides community programming through The Gallery exhibition spaces, room reservations, kids and teens services, technology assistance with 24/7 Wi-Fi, museum passes, and seasonal programs like the Seed Library and Summer Reading Program. Fundraising and donor support services are available through the Support Us portal.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• 28 pints collected at July 2024 Red Cross Blood Drive (33% over goal)
• +1 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

18 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Yiddish Book CenterflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Selected as one of 40 libraries nationwide to participate in the Yiddish Book Center's Public Libraries Program on the theme 'Between Two Worlds: Exploring Jewish Culture and Religion through Yiddish Literature.' The program provides grants, resources, and training to public libraries.
• Merck Forest & Farmland CenterflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025MCL and Merck Forest & Farmland Center in Rupert received an NEA Big Read Grant for collaborative community programming, combining MCL's resources with Merck Forest's educational mission.
• GNAT-TVcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with GNAT-TV (Greater Northampton Area Television) to record library events and make them available on-demand through the MCL Event Video Library, extending the reach of community conversations, author talks, lectures, and educational programs beyond library walls.
• Vermont HumanitiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnnual participation in Vermont Reads program, selecting and promoting community reading of selected books with related programming. MCL hosted Vermont Reads 2024 (Gather) and Vermont Reads 2025 (The Light Pirate).
• Manchester Historical SocietycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative exhibitions including 'The Lost Ski Areas of Vermont' pop-up exhibit in the lower gallery, showcasing Vermont's lost ski areas combining research from both organizations.
• Vermont Ski and Snowboard MuseumminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Vermont Ski and Snowboard Museum in Stowe for 'The Lost Ski Areas of Vermont' exhibition, documenting Vermont's closed ski areas.
• A Revolutionary PresscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJohn Vincent of A Revolutionary Press (New Haven, VT) created the 'Finding Hope Within' traveling exhibition featuring works by incarcerated artists and poets. Exhibition began touring Vermont in July 2023.
• Turning Point Center of Addison CountyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for 'Finding Hope Within' exhibition, with Heather Newcomb connecting with women artists at Chittenden Regional Correctional Facility.
• Vermont Film & Folklore FestivalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMCL hosted Vermont Film & Folklore Festival events including talks by Vermont folklore master Joe Citro and feature documentary films.
• OrviscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerSilver Sponsor with support from Orvis Charitable Foundation for ongoing library programs and services.
• Vermont Community FoundationcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerGrantmaking organization providing philanthropic support to the library.
• Birds & Beans CoffeeminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor and community partner, with founder Bill Wilson providing generous support. Family-owned company committed to environmentally responsible and ethically sourced coffee since 2008.
• Maple Capital ManagementminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate sponsor supporting library operations and programs.
• American Red CrossminorOthersRegular blood drives held at the library, with July 2024 drive collecting 28 pints (33% over goal).
• GunSafeVTminorOthersFree cable gun locks available at library's Help Desk for Vermonters to promote responsible gun storage.
• Community Food CupboardminorOthersMCL serves as collection point for non-perishable foods and personal hygiene products for the Community Food Cupboard.
• Northshire Day SchoolminorOthersPartnership with Northshire Day School LIFT Committee for Community Closet clothing donations, distributed free at MCL on second Saturdays.
• Vermont Center for PhotographyminorOthersMCL serves as collection point for camera donations (film, digital, antique, vintage) supporting VCP's nonprofit mission.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Mark Skinner Library (historical predecessor): The original Manchester public library (founded 1897) that MCL succeeded in 2014. Comparable in mission and community role; included to anchor the historical continuity of the Manchester library system.
• Jesup Memorial Library: Public community library in Bar Harbor, Maine, of comparable small-town New England scale. Highly comparable as the prior employer of MCL's incoming Executive Director Matt DeLaney, indicating similar operating model, programming philosophy, and donor/community engagement approach.

Others

• Champlain Valley Unitarian Universalist Society (community partner-style): Not a direct peer; included as an example of a regional community-service organization with comparable programming/event partnership dynamics in Vermont. Weak comparability.
• Green Mountain Library Consortium: Vermont library consortium that provides MCL's digital services (Aspen Discovery, Kanopy, Libby). Comparable as the infrastructure peer for shared digital collection services.
• Vermont Humanities: Statewide humanities council and current partner of MCL through the annual Vermont Reads program. Comparable as a programming partner with overlapping cultural-programming mission.

Regional players

• Brownell Library: Community public library in Essex Junction, Vermont. Comparable as a small Vermont public library with similar programming, collection, and community-hub orientation.
• Bennington Free Library: Public library serving Bennington, Vermont — the same county as Manchester Community Library. Comparable in mission, funding mix (town appropriations plus donations), and community-library scale, providing a useful same-region benchmark.
• Fletcher Free Library: Burlington, Vermont's public library and a member of the Green Mountain Library Consortium (the same consortium providing MCL's digital services). Comparable in operating model and digital resource delivery for a Vermont community.
• Rutland Free Library: Public library in Rutland, Vermont serving a small-city community with a similar mix of town funding, donations, and programming. Comparable in scale and governance structure to MCL.

Broad incumbents

• Vermont Department of Libraries: State library agency that funds and supports all Vermont public libraries, including MCL. Comparable as the governing/sector context, though not a direct operating peer.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC2bG4VC_RYsfUzHWg0a0P2g
• Facebookfacebook.com/manchestercommunitylib
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/manchester-community-library
• Instagraminstagram.com/ManchesterCommunityLibrary

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Manchester Community Library