Freeburg Township’s library runs 19 programs per 1,000 residents, against a typical 34 for libraries its size
Freeburg Area Library District serves 6,061 people in and around Freeburg Township. Last year it lent 24K print books and media and logged 17K visits.
Freeburg Township’s library, in brief
Few residents carry a card
Only 18% of the people Freeburg Area Library District serves have a library card, against a typical 42% for its size. How it compares ↓
A big collection for the borrowing it gets
Freeburg Area Library District holds 46,000 books and other items, but the average item went out about once every two years 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.
What’s behind Freeburg Township’s civic life grade
Freeburg 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 2,500 to 10,000 people across the U.S.
Freeburg Area Library District serves 6,061 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000.
Every hour the doors are open, about 13 items go out
Fiscal year 2024. The library’s own count.
Books and media off the shelf
24K 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 Freeburg Township’s library in 2024, so there’s no split between adults’ and kids’ borrowing.
Each of the 46K books and other items on the shelves went out about 0.5 time last year, on average.
About 1 kids’ program 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
Freeburg Area Library District, 407 South Belleville Street, Freeburg.
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 $1.33 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Freeburg Township cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $43. Operating budget $322K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $428K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $322K 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 1,118 cardholders ÷ 12.
Libraries next door
Freeburg Township ranks 2nd of 4 for borrowing per resident. Tap a town to see its library.
| Town | Library | Loans per resident | Hours | Civic life |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smithton Township | Smithton Public Library District | 4.3 | 61 | — graded with its twin city |
| Freeburg Township | Freeburg Area Library District | 4.0 | 37 | — graded with its twin city |
| Freeburg | Freeburg Area Library District | 4.0 | 37 | A |
| Belleville | Belleville Public Library fine-free | 2.1 | 60 | C |
| New Athens Township | New Athens District Library fine-free | — | 44 | C+ |
| Shiloh Valley Township | None of its own | — | — | B |
| Engelmann 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 Freeburg Township
Does Freeburg Township have a public library?
Yes. Freeburg Area Library District, 407 South Belleville Street, serves 6,061 people in and around Freeburg Township (the survey’s count) and is open about 37 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Freeburg Area Library District fine-free?
It charges late fines on some overdue items (the library’s 2024 survey report).
How busy is Freeburg Township’s library?
It logged 2.7 visits and lent 4.0 print items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3 visits for libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people.
What is Freeburg Township’s civic life grade?
Freeburg 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 Freeburg 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.