Berwyn Township’s library logs 1.2 visits per resident, against a typical 2.6 for libraries its size
Berwyn Public Library serves 57,250 people in and around Berwyn Township. Last year it lent 178K print books and media and logged 69K visits.
What stands out about Berwyn Township’s library
Read from the library’s own yearly report. The page puts what stands out first.
What’s behind Berwyn Township’s civic life grade
Berwyn 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 2 of 6 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people across the U.S.
Berwyn Public Library serves 57,250 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000.
Every hour the doors are open, about 58 items go out
Fiscal year 2024. The library’s own count.
Books and media off the shelf
178K 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 Berwyn Township’s library in 2024, so there’s no split between adults’ and kids’ borrowing.
Each of the 92K books and other items on the shelves went out about 1.9 times last year, on average.
About 7 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.
Find it
Berwyn Public Library, 2701 South Harlem Avenue, Berwyn.
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 Berwyn Township cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $40. Operating budget $4M.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $3.3M worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $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 22,889 cardholders ÷ 12.
Libraries next door
Berwyn Township ranks 4th of 6 for borrowing per resident. Tap a town to see its library.
| Town | Library | Loans per resident | Hours | Civic life |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Riverside Township | Riverside Public Library fine-free | 11.1 | 65 | A− |
| North Riverside | North Riverside Public Library District fine-free | 7.4 | 51 | B+ |
| Proviso Township | Forest Park Public Library fine-free | 7.2 | 69 | C− |
| Berwyn Township | Berwyn Public Library fine-free | 3.1 | 59 | — graded with its twin city |
| Berwyn | Berwyn Public Library fine-free | 3.1 | 59 | D− |
| Cicero | Cicero Public Library fine-free | 0.8 | 55 | 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 Berwyn Township
Does Berwyn Township have a public library?
Yes. Berwyn Public Library, 2701 South Harlem Avenue, serves 57,250 people in and around Berwyn Township (the survey’s count) and is open about 59 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Berwyn Public Library fine-free?
Yes, no late fees (the library’s 2024 survey report).
How busy is Berwyn Township’s library?
It logged 1.2 visits and lent 3.1 print items per resident in 2024, against a typical 2.6 visits for libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people.
What is Berwyn Township’s civic life grade?
Berwyn 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 Berwyn 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.