Garrett Township has no public library of its own; the nearest is Atwood-Hammond Public Library District in Atwood, 3.2 miles away
Garrett Township doesn’t have a public library of its own. The closest is Atwood-Hammond Public Library District in Atwood, 3.2 miles away. Many small-town libraries give cards to neighbors, sometimes for a yearly fee, so call ahead.
BCivic lifeAhead of 56% of U.S. towns. Nonprofits and volunteering.Getting a library card from Garrett Township
Garrett Township borrows from the libraries next door
Garrett Township has no public library of its own, but three libraries are within 10 miles, the closest being Atwood-Hammond Public Library District in Atwood (3.2 miles). Many small-town libraries give cards to people from neighboring towns, sometimes for a yearly fee, so call ahead. Nearest libraries ↓
Garrett Township isn’t the only town nearby without one
Bourbon Township and Sadorus Township don’t have a public library of their own either. Among the towns next door, Tuscola Township (Tuscola Public Library), Unity Township (Atwood-Hammond Public Library District) and Lowe Township (Arthur Public Library District) do. Libraries next door ↓
The closest isn’t the one open longest
Atwood-Hammond Public Library District is nearest, open about 42 hours a week. Arthur Public Library District, 8.3 miles away, is open about 57 hours a week, so it may be easier to fit in. Nearest libraries ↓
This summary is written from the numbers on this page. Distances are straight-line from the town center.
What’s behind Garrett Township’s civic life grade
On community nonprofits and volunteering, Garrett Township is ahead of 56% of U.S. towns. Garrett Township is graded on two of the three inputs. The share of younger adults in volunteering groups holds the grade up; Garrett Township’s count of community nonprofits pulls it down.
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 →
3 community nonprofits are registered in Garrett Township
2.9 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.
9.8%
9.8% of Garrett 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 Garrett Township’s residents live; 2022.
The closest is 3.2 miles away
Closest first, measured from the center of Garrett Township. Each one’s hours, and whether it charges late fines.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tuscola Township | Tuscola Public Library | 4.6 | 48 | — graded with its twin city |
| Unity Township | Atwood-Hammond Public Library District fine-free | — | 42 | B |
| Lowe Township | Arthur Public Library District fine-free | — | 57 | A− |
| Bourbon Township | None of its own | — | — | B− |
| Sadorus 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.
- The library’s own count. Libraries report their own visits, loans and programs. A library that didn’t respond keeps its address and hours here, with no numbers.
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 Garrett Township
Does Garrett Township have a public library?
No. The closest is Atwood-Hammond Public Library District in Atwood, 3.2 miles from the town center. Many libraries give cards to people from neighboring towns, sometimes for a yearly fee, so call ahead.
What is Garrett Township’s civic life grade?
B Garrett Township is ahead of 56% 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 Garrett 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.