Photo: Stolehome · CC BY-SA 3.0Canton Township’s library lends 5.3 print items per resident, against a typical 3.9 for libraries its size
Parlin-Ingersoll Public Library serves 13,242 people in and around Canton Township. Last year it lent 70K print books and media and logged 36K visits.
Canton Township’s library, in brief
Mostly paid for by gifts, not taxes
72% of the library’s income comes from gifts, endowments, fees and other sources, not taxes. Local taxes cover 26%. What your card is worth ↓
Most programs are for young children
70% of the 202 programs last year were for ages 11 and under, including about 1.3 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.
What’s behind Canton Township’s civic life grade
Canton 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 3 of 6 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000 people across the U.S.
Parlin-Ingersoll Public Library serves 13,242 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000.
Every hour the doors are open, about 26 items go out
Fiscal year 2024. The library’s own count.
Books and media off the shelf
70K 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 Canton Township’s library in 2024, so there’s no split between adults’ and kids’ borrowing.
Each of the 111K books and other items on the shelves went out about 0.6 time last year, on average.
About 3 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
Parlin-Ingersoll Public Library, 205 West Chestnut Street, Canton.
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 $1.79 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Canton Township cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $43. Operating budget $704K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $1.3M worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $704K budget.
Late fines apply to some overdue items.
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 3,047 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canton Township | Parlin-Ingersoll Public Library | 5.3 | 52 | — graded with its twin city |
| Canton | Parlin-Ingersoll Public Library | 5.3 | 52 | B |
| Farmington Township | Farmington Area Public Library District fine-free | — | 54 | A |
| Orion Township | None of its own | — | — | C− |
| Buckheart Township | None of its own | — | — | — too few inputs |
| Joshua Township | None of its own | — | — | — under 1,000 residents |
| Norris | None of its own | — | — | — under 1,000 residents |
| Trivoli 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.
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 Canton Township
Does Canton Township have a public library?
Yes. Parlin-Ingersoll Public Library, 205 West Chestnut Street, serves 13,242 people in and around Canton Township (the survey’s count) and is open about 52 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Parlin-Ingersoll Public Library fine-free?
It charges late fines on some overdue items (the library’s 2024 survey report).
How busy is Canton Township’s library?
It logged 2.8 visits and lent 5.3 print items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3.1 visits for libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000 people.
What is Canton Township’s civic life grade?
Canton 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 Canton 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.