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The Seekonk Public Library serves primarily the Town of Seekonk. Seekonk is a suburban community with an estimated population of 13,425 in 2000, up from 13,304 in 1995. It is close to Providence, Rhode Island, and is part of the Providence Standard Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population of the Town is growing very slowly, and that slow growth is expected to continue for the foreseeable future, as much of the prime land has been developed. It is a homogeneous community, with 97% of the population Caucasian, 1% Asian, 0.5% Black, 0.7% Hispanic, 0.2% American Indian, and 0.5% Other. The population has been aging, with the median age increasing from 29.6 years in 1970 to 39.7 years in 2000. During this same period, the number of pre-school and school-age children fell from 38.1% of the population to 25.3%, the number of seniors 65 years and older rose from 8.2% of the population to 13.5%, while adult population increased from 53.6% to 61.2% of the population. In 2000, nearly 83% of the adult population were high school graduates, compared to the Massachusetts average of 85%. Nearly 26% had completed four years or more of college compared to the state average of 33%. In 2000, 90% of Seekonk High School graduates went on to college, compared to the state average of 75%. The Town is prosperous, with a median household income of $56,364 in 1999, about 12% higher than the Massachusetts state average. The per capita income, at $24,058 was slightly lower than the state average of $25,952. The Seekonk Public Library was established in 1899. The Library is a member of the Southeast Area Integrated Library System (SAILS), a consortium of over 50 libraries in southeast Massachusetts which have combined their collections to allow customers direct access to the combined catalogs. The present library building was opened in 1981. Usage of the library has nearly quadrupled since then. Seekonk residents make heavy use of their library, with 66.4% holding library cards and using them frequently. The prosperous and well-educated population makes an excellent base for a community library. The Library, along with other Town Departments, suffered cutbacks in budget and services in the early 1990's due to the impact to revenue restrictions attributed to Proposition 2 ½, and is only now beginning to restore service to its previous levels. The fiscal 2002 budget of $596,711 represents 2% of the Town budget.