Bedford Park’s library runs 310 programs per 1,000 residents, against a typical 60 for libraries its size
Bedford Park Public Library District serves Bedford Park’s 787 residents. Last year it lent 6,439 print books and media and logged 4,500 visits.
What Bedford Park’s library is like
Five times the programs of a typical library its size
Bedford Park Public Library District ran 244 programs last year, about 5 a week. That’s 310 per 1,000 residents, against a typical 60. Kids & programs ↓
Bedford Park invests in its library
Bedford Park Public Library District spends $1,724 per resident a year, about 32 times the typical $54 for a library its size. What your card is worth ↓
Open about 66 hours a week
Bedford Park Public Library District is open about 66 hours a week, averaged over the year. The building ↓
Programs lean toward adults
61% of the 244 programs last year were for adults: classes, talks, clubs and events. 80 were for children. Kids & programs ↓
A big collection for the borrowing it gets
Bedford Park Public Library District holds 36,000 books and other items, but the average item went out less than once last year. What people borrow ↓
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; in a town this small, one busy program or a few avid readers move the per-resident numbers.
What’s behind Bedford Park’s civic life grade
Bedford Park 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 →
About 2 kids’ programs a week
Story times, clubs, classes and events, 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 4 of 5 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving under 2,500 people across the U.S.
Bedford Park Public Library District serves 787 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving under 2,500.
Every hour the doors are open, about 2 items go out
Fiscal year 2024. The library’s own count.
Books and media off the shelf
6,439 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 Bedford Park’s library in 2024, so there’s no split between adults’ and kids’ borrowing.
Each of the 36K books and other items on the shelves went out about 0.2 time last year, on average.
Find it
Bedford Park Public Library District, 7816 West 65th Place, Bedford Park.
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 Bedford Park cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $54. Operating budget $1.4M.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $110K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $1.4M 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 401 cardholders ÷ 12.
Libraries next door
Bedford Park ranks 2nd of 9 for borrowing per resident. Tap a town to see its library.
| Town | Library | Loans per resident | Hours | Civic life |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lyons Township | Lagrange Public Library fine-free | 15.3 | 67 | C |
| Bedford Park | Bedford Park Public Library District fine-free | 8.2 | 66 | — under 1,000 residents |
| Hodgkins | Hodgkins Public Library District | 7.2 | 58 | B+ |
| Chicago | Chicago Public Library fine-free | 3.9 | 72 | C− |
| Bridgeview | Bridgeview Public Library fine-free | 2.8 | 48 | D |
| Burbank | Prairie Trails Public Library District fine-free | 2.5 | 67 | D |
| Stickney Township | Prairie Trails Public Library District fine-free | 2.5 | 67 | D− |
| Justice | Justice Public Library District fine-free | 1.2 | 55 | D− |
| Summit | Summit Public Library District fine-free | 0.5 | 51 | D− |
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.
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 Bedford Park
Does Bedford Park have a public library?
Yes. Bedford Park Public Library District, 7816 West 65th Place, serves Bedford Park’s 787 residents (the survey’s count) and is open about 66 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Bedford Park Public Library District fine-free?
Yes, no late fees (the library’s 2024 survey report).
How busy is Bedford Park’s library?
It logged 5.7 visits and lent 8.2 print items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3.5 visits for libraries serving under 2,500 people.
What is Bedford Park’s civic life grade?
Bedford Park 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 Bedford Park.
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.