Photo: AlphaBeta135 · CC BY 4.0Algonquin Township’s library lends 16 print items per resident, against a typical 3.7 for libraries its size
Algonquin Area Public Library District serves 40,679 people in and around Algonquin Township from 2 locations. Last year it lent 639K books, movies and e-books and logged 198K visits.
Algonquin Township’s library, in brief
One of the busiest library systems its size
Algonquin Area Public Library District logs 4.9 visits per resident, against a typical 2.6 for libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people, and lends 16 print items per resident against a typical 3.7. On both counts it beats 86% of similar-size libraries across the U.S. How it compares ↓
Kids’ borrowing is a standout
Children’s books and media are 46% of print loans, and kids’ borrowing per resident is higher than at 96% of similar-size libraries. Kids & programs ↓
A well-funded system
Algonquin Area Public Library District spends $181 per resident a year, about five times the typical $40 for a library its size. Almost all of it (89%) comes from local taxes. What your card is worth ↓
Open about 69 hours a week
The Algonquin Township branch is open about 69 hours a week, averaged over the year. The buildings ↓
Twice the programs of a typical library its size
Algonquin Area Public Library District ran 1,395 programs last year, about 27 a week. That’s 34 per 1,000 residents, against a typical 14. People show up: 53,000 attended. Kids & programs ↓
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; Algonquin Area Public Library District serves 40,679 people in and around Algonquin Township, and its numbers cover all of them.
What’s behind Algonquin Township’s civic life grade
On community nonprofits and volunteering, Algonquin Township is ahead of 41% of U.S. towns, #404 of 754 in Illinois. Algonquin Township is graded on two of the three inputs. The share of younger adults in volunteering groups holds the grade up; Algonquin Township’s count of community nonprofits pulls it down.
Most U.S. towns with similar household incomes ($83K–$138K) score higher, so income alone doesn’t account for it.
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 →
229 community nonprofits are registered in Algonquin Township
2.6 per 1,000 residents, against a U.S. town median of 3.7. The largest group: education.
Community nonprofits, by kind
Counted from the IRS list of tax-exempt organizations by mailing address (fractions where a ZIP code spans towns). Congregations are counted apart (39 here), since whether a church registers depends on its denomination, not the town. 10 more name a national or statewide reach and are left out.
8.7%
8.7% of Algonquin Township’s Facebook users aged 25–44 belong to a volunteering or activism group, against 8.1% in the typical Illinois town and 7.5% nationally.
Volunteering: Social Capital Atlas (Opportunity Insights), from data by Meta Platforms, Inc.; Chetty et al., Nature 2022. ZIP-code figures, weighted by where Algonquin Township’s residents live; 2022.
About 13 kids’ programs a week
Story times, clubs, classes and events, across the whole system, by who they’re for.
Programs last year by age group
story times and programs a week for ages 0–5, on average.
Ahead of most similar-size libraries on 6 of 8 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people across the U.S.
Algonquin Area Public Library District serves 40,679 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000.
Every hour the doors are open, about 94 items go out
Fiscal year 2024, for the whole Algonquin Area Public Library District system. The library’s own count.
Almost half the print loans are kids’ books
639K loans last year: print, kids’ and digital.
5 places to borrow in Algonquin Township
Algonquin Area Public Library District, 2600 Harnish Drive, Algonquin.
No late fees. Good at every Algonquin Area Public Library District branch.
New in Algonquin Township? The Handbook →Hours are the survey’s yearly average. Check the library’s own site for today’s hours.
Other Algonquin Area Public Library District branches in Algonquin Township
For every $1 it spends, the library lends about $1.38 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Algonquin Township cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $40. Operating budget $7.4M.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $1M worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $7.4M budget.
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 14,238 cardholders ÷ 12.
Libraries next door
Who has a library of their own, and how much each town borrows. Tap a town to see its library.
| Town | Library | Loans per resident | Hours | Civic life |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Algonquin Township | Algonquin Area Public Library District fine-free | — | 69 | C+ |
| Dundee Township | Fox River Valley Public Library District fine-free | — | 65 | D |
| Cuba Township | Barrington Public Library District fine-free | — | 70 | B |
| Grafton Township | Huntley Area Public Library District fine-free | — | 63 | C |
| Nunda Township | None of its own | — | — | C |
| Oakwood Hills | None of its own | — | — | C |
| Port Barrington | None of its own | — | — | B |
Loans = print + digital items borrowed in the library’s fiscal year, per person it serves. — = no library of its own, a county or regional system (its numbers cover many towns), or no report. Civic life: — = not graded (unincorporated places, whose nonprofits can’t be placed by mailing address, or towns with fewer than two of the three inputs).
What this data can and can’t tell you
From the Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024.
- System-wide. Algonquin Area Public Library District serves 40,679 people in and around Algonquin Township, so the yearly numbers cover all of them, not just Algonquin Township.
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 Algonquin Township
Does Algonquin Township have a public library?
Yes. Algonquin Area Public Library District, 2600 Harnish Drive, serves 40,679 people in and around Algonquin Township (the survey’s count) and is open about 69 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Algonquin Area Public Library District fine-free?
Yes, no late fees (the library’s 2024 survey report).
How busy is Algonquin Township’s library?
It logged 4.9 visits and lent 15.7 items per resident in 2024, against a typical 2.6 visits for libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people.
What is Algonquin Township’s civic life grade?
C+ Algonquin Township is ahead of 41% of U.S. towns on civic life, #404 of 754 in Illinois. The grade combines library visits per resident, community nonprofits per 1,000 residents and the share of adults 25–44 in volunteering groups. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
Book talk
Reading, story times and the library in Algonquin Township.
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.