Clayville Tavern · Photo: Boscophotos · CC BY-SA 3.0Cartwright Township’s library is a branch of Prairie Skies Public Library District, which lends more per resident than 61% of systems its size
Cartwright Township’s library is the Prairie Skies Public Library District Branch, a branch of Prairie Skies Public Library District, which serves 7,073 people and lent 34K items last year.
The short version on Cartwright Township’s library
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; Cartwright Township’s library is a branch of Prairie Skies Public Library District, so they cover the whole system (7,073 people), not just the Cartwright Township branch.
What’s behind Cartwright Township’s civic life grade
On community nonprofits and volunteering, Cartwright Township is ahead of 94% of U.S. towns. Cartwright Township is graded on two of the three inputs. Both inputs are above most U.S. towns; Cartwright Township’s count of community nonprofits ranks highest.
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 →
9 community nonprofits are registered in Cartwright Township
7.8 per 1,000 residents, against a U.S. town median of 3.7. The largest group: civic groups, clubs & veterans.
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 (1 here), since whether a church registers depends on its denomination, not the town.
10.3%
10.3% of Cartwright 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 Cartwright Township’s residents live; 2022.
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 Cartwright 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 Branch, 555 Buckeye Road, Pleasant Plains.
No late fees. Good at every Prairie Skies Public Library District branch.
New in Cartwright 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 Cartwright 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cartwright Township | Prairie Skies Public Library District Branch fine-free | — | 45 | A |
| Island Grove Township | None of its own | — | — | — under 1,000 residents |
| Gardner Township | None of its own | — | — | C+ |
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 Branch is one branch of Prairie Skies Public Library District, so the yearly numbers cover every branch and all 7,073 people it serves.
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 Cartwright Township
Does Cartwright Township have a public library?
Yes: Prairie Skies Public Library District Branch, 555 Buckeye Road, is a branch of Prairie Skies Public Library District, which serves 7,073 people. The branch 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 Cartwright 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 Cartwright Township’s civic life grade?
A Cartwright Township is ahead of 94% of U.S. towns on civic life. 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 Cartwright 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.