Photo: Tedder · CC BY 4.0Ashland Township’s library runs 52 programs per 1,000 residents, against a typical 34 for libraries its size
Prairie Skies Public Library District serves 7,073 people in and around Ashland Township. Last year it lent 34K print books and media and logged 11K visits.
Ashland Township’s library, in brief
Few residents carry a card
Only 18% of the people the system serves have a library card, against a typical 42% for its size. How it compares ↓
Most programs are for young children
68% of the 367 programs last year were for ages 11 and under, including about 2.3 a week for ages 0–5. 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; Prairie Skies Public Library District serves 7,073 people in and around Ashland Township, and its numbers cover all of them.
What’s behind Ashland Township’s civic life grade
Ashland Township 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 →
Ahead of most similar-size libraries on 4 of 6 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people across the U.S.
Prairie Skies Public Library District serves 7,073 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000.
Every hour the doors are open, about 7 items go out
Fiscal year 2024, for the whole Prairie Skies Public Library District system. The library’s own count.
Books and media off the shelf
34K 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 Ashland Township’s library in 2024, so there’s no split between adults’ and kids’ borrowing.
About 5 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.
Find it
Prairie Skies Public Library District, 125 West Editor Street, Ashland.
No late fees. Good at every Prairie Skies Public Library District branch.
New in Ashland Township? The Handbook →Hours are the survey’s yearly average. Check the library’s own site for today’s hours.
For every $1 it spends, the library lends about $1.92 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Ashland Township cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $43. Operating budget $325K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $623K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $325K 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 1,252 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ashland Township | Prairie Skies Public Library District fine-free | — | 45 | — graded with its twin city |
| Philadelphia Township | None of its own | — | — | — under 1,000 residents |
| Newmansville Township | None of its own | — | — | — under 1,000 residents |
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.
- Digital loans not reported. Illinois libraries often don’t report e-book loans, so borrowing here is print only.
- System-wide. Prairie Skies Public Library District serves 7,073 people in and around Ashland Township, so the yearly numbers cover all of them, not just Ashland 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 Ashland Township
Does Ashland Township have a public library?
Yes. Prairie Skies Public Library District, 125 West Editor Street, serves 7,073 people in and around Ashland Township (the survey’s count) and is open about 45 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Prairie Skies Public Library District fine-free?
Yes, no late fees (the library’s 2024 survey report).
How busy is Ashland Township’s library?
It logged 1.6 visits and lent 4.8 print items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3 visits for libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people.
What is Ashland Township’s civic life grade?
Ashland Township 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 Ashland 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.