Photo: Johnnie Tran · CC BY-SA 3.0DeKalb Township’s library logs 5.8 visits per resident, against a typical 2.6 for libraries its size
Dekalb Public Library serves 40,290 people in and around DeKalb Township. Last year it lent 151K print books and media and logged 234K visits.
The short version on DeKalb Township’s library
The library is a National Register landmark
Haish Memorial Library has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1980. Today’s library there has 65,786 square feet. The building ↓
People come to Dekalb Public Library a lot
Dekalb Public Library logs 5.8 visits per resident, against a typical 2.6 for libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people, more than 91% of similar-size libraries. Borrowing is above typical too, at 3.8 print items per resident. How it compares ↓
Twice the programs of a typical library its size
Dekalb Public Library ran 1,423 programs last year, about 27 a week. That’s 35 per 1,000 residents, against a typical 14. Kids & programs ↓
Open about 68 hours a week
Dekalb Public Library is open about 68 hours a week, averaged over the year. Every hour the doors are open, about 43 items go out. The building ↓
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 DeKalb Township’s civic life grade
DeKalb 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 →
About 10 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 5 of 6 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people across the U.S.
Dekalb Public Library serves 40,290 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000.
Every hour the doors are open, about 43 items go out
Fiscal year 2024. The library’s own count.
Books and media off the shelf
151K 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 DeKalb Township’s library in 2024, so there’s no split between adults’ and kids’ borrowing.
Each of the 153K books and other items on the shelves went out about 1 time last year, on average.
A National Register landmark since 1980
Dekalb Public Library, 309 Oak Street, Dekalb.
Hours are the survey’s yearly average. Check the library’s own site for today’s hours.
Haish Memorial Library
Haish Memorial Library was added to the National Register of Historic Places on Oct 9, 1980. It is significant for its architecture at the local level. Its architecture is described as Art Moderne.
The Haish Memorial Library (also known as the DeKalb Public Library) was designed by Chicago architects White and Weber (Charles E. White, Jr. and Bertram A. Weber) and built in the art deco style of the 1930s with funds left to the library by Jacob Haish in his 1928 will. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.
More about the building →What a library card is worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average DeKalb Township cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $40. Operating budget $2.8M.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $2.8M worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $2.8M 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 15,579 cardholders ÷ 12.
Libraries next door
DeKalb Township ranks 2nd of 3 for borrowing per resident. Tap a town to see its library.
| Town | Library | Loans per resident | Hours | Civic life |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cortland Township | Cortland Community Library | 7.0 | 64 | B− |
| DeKalb Township | Dekalb Public Library fine-free | 3.8 | 68 | — graded with its twin city |
| Malta Township | Malta Township Public Library | 3.6 | 24 | B |
| Afton Township | None of its own | — | — | — under 1,000 residents |
| Mayfield 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 DeKalb Township
Does DeKalb Township have a public library?
Yes. Dekalb Public Library, 309 Oak Street, serves 40,290 people in and around DeKalb Township (the survey’s count) and is open about 68 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Dekalb Public Library fine-free?
Yes, no late fees (the library’s 2024 survey report).
How busy is DeKalb Township’s library?
It logged 5.8 visits and lent 3.8 print items per resident in 2024, against a typical 2.6 visits for libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people.
What is DeKalb Township’s civic life grade?
DeKalb 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 DeKalb 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. Building history: National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places; photo via Wikimedia Commons. “What your card is worth” uses typical retail prices and is an estimate, not an official figure.