Thornton’s library is a branch of Calhoun County Library, which lends less per resident than 92% of systems its size
Thornton’s library is the Thornton Public Library, a branch of Calhoun County Library, which serves 4,641 people and lent 4,030 items last year.
The short version on Thornton’s library
The Calhoun County Library system is used less than most libraries its size
The Calhoun County Library system records 0.9 visits per resident, against a typical 3 for libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people. Borrowing is 0.9 print items per resident, against a typical 3.8. How it compares ↓
Open only about 11 hours a week
The Thornton branch keeps short hours: about 11 a week, averaged over the year, so check its schedule before you go. The building ↓
This summary is written from the numbers on this page. Numbers are the library’s own report to the Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024; Thornton’s library is a branch of Calhoun County Library, so they cover the whole system (4,641 people), not just the Thornton branch.
What’s behind Thornton’s civic life grade
Thornton isn’t graded on civic life: TownRatings grades towns of 1,000 residents or more.
Civic life counts registered nonprofits, library visits and online volunteering groups, so it can miss civic life that runs through congregations, mutual aid or neighbors looking out for each other.
Library visits: IMLS Public Libraries Survey, FY2024. Nonprofits: IRS Exempt Organizations Business Master File, October 2026. Volunteering: Social Capital Atlas (Opportunity Insights), from data by Meta Platforms, Inc.; Chetty et al., Nature 2022. How TownRatings grades civic life →
Below most similar-size libraries on all 3 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people across the U.S.
Calhoun County Library serves 4,641 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000.
Every hour the doors are open, about 2 items go out
Fiscal year 2024, for the whole Calhoun County Library system. The library’s own count.
Not reported for 2024: spending. The survey fills a missing figure with its own estimate; we leave estimates out rather than show them as the library’s count.
Books and media off the shelf
4,030 print loans last year. The library didn’t report its e-book and e-audiobook loans.
The survey has no count of children’s loans for Thornton’s library in 2024, so there’s no split between adults’ and kids’ borrowing.
Find it
Thornton Public Library, 820 South 2nd Street, Thornton.
No late fees. Good at every Calhoun County Library branch.
New in Thornton? The Handbook →Hours are the survey’s yearly average. Check the library’s own site for today’s hours.
What a library card is worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Thornton cardholder borrows.
Fine-free. No late fees on books returned late.
Retail prices are typical, rounded down: a new book $17, a kids’ book $12, an e-book or e-audiobook $15, a movie rental $4, a class or program $10, a computer or Wi-Fi session $3. The average cardholder’s month = the library’s yearly loans, attendance and Wi-Fi sessions ÷ its 1,045 cardholders ÷ 12.
What this data can and can’t tell you
From the Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024.
- Not reported for 2024: spending. The survey filled the figure with its own estimate, so it is left out.
- Digital loans not reported. The library didn’t report e-book loans, so borrowing here is print only.
- System-wide. Thornton Public Library is one branch of Calhoun County Library, so the yearly numbers cover every branch and all 4,641 people it serves.
Hours are the survey’s yearly average; libraries are compared with others serving about as many people. How TownRatings uses library figures →
Questions about the library and civic life in Thornton
Does Thornton have a public library?
Yes: Thornton Public Library, 820 South 2nd Street, is a branch of Calhoun County Library, which serves 4,641 people. The branch is open about 11 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Calhoun County Library fine-free?
Yes, no late fees (the library’s 2024 survey report).
How busy is Thornton’s library?
It logged 0.9 visits and lent 0.9 print items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3 visits for libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people.
What is Thornton’s civic life grade?
Thornton isn’t graded on civic life: TownRatings grades towns of 1,000 residents or more. How it works.
Book talk
Reading, story times and the library in Thornton.
Libraries: Institute of Museum and Library Services, Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024. Each library reports its own numbers. Distances are straight-line from the town center. “What your card is worth” uses typical retail prices and is an estimate, not an official figure.