Photo: Maliwhite10 · CC BY-SA 3.0Havana’s library logs 1.8 visits per resident, against a typical 3 for libraries its size
Havana Public Library District serves 5,923 people in and around Havana. Last year it lent 19K print books and media and logged 11K visits.
The short version on Havana’s library
Most programs are for young children
79% of the 221 programs last year were for ages 11 and under, including about 1.6 a week for ages 0–5. Kids & programs ↓
The branch is a National Register landmark
Havana Public Library has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1994. Today’s library there has 6,182 square feet. The building ↓
Few residents carry a card
Only 15% of the people the system serves have a library card, against a typical 42% for its size. How it compares ↓
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; Havana Public Library District serves 5,923 people in and around Havana, and its numbers cover all of them.
What’s behind Havana’s civic life grade
On community nonprofits and volunteering, Havana is among the top 1% of U.S. towns, #3 of 754 in Illinois. Havana is graded on two of the three inputs. Both inputs put Havana near the top nationally; Havana’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 →
35 community nonprofits are registered in Havana
11.7 per 1,000 residents, against a U.S. town median of 3.7. The largest group: youth, sports & recreation.
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 (8 here), since whether a church registers depends on its denomination, not the town. 1 more name a national or statewide reach and are left out.
12.8%
12.8% of Havana’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 Havana’s residents live; 2022.
A National Register landmark since 1994
Havana Public Library District, 201 West Adams Street, Havana.
No late fees. Good at every Havana Public Library District branch.
New in Havana? The Handbook →Hours are the survey’s yearly average. Check the library’s own site for today’s hours.
Havana Public Library
Havana Public Library was added to the National Register of Historic Places on Feb 16, 1994. It is significant for its social history and education at the local level. Its architecture is described as Classical Revival. It was listed as part of Illinois Carnegie Libraries MPS.
The Havana Public Library is a Carnegie library located at 201 W. Adams St. in Havana, Illinois. The library was built in 1902 to house Havana's library program, which began in 1896 and was previously kept in a room of the city hall. The building's construction was funded by an $8,000 grant from the Carnegie Foundation as well as a local library tax.
More about the building →Ahead of most similar-size libraries on 3 of 6 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people across the U.S.
Havana Public Library District serves 5,923 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000.
Every hour the doors are open, about 10 items go out
Fiscal year 2024, for the whole Havana Public Library District system. The library’s own count.
Books and media off the shelf
19K 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 Havana’s library in 2024, so there’s no split between adults’ and kids’ borrowing.
About 3 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.
For every $1 it spends, the library lends about $1.24 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Havana cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $43. Operating budget $302K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $373K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $302K 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 913 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Havana | Havana Public Library District fine-free | — | 37 | A+ |
| Havana Township | Havana Public Library District fine-free | — | 37 | A+ |
| Isabel Township | None of its own | — | — | — under 1,000 residents |
| Waterford 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.
- System-wide. Havana Public Library District serves 5,923 people in and around Havana, so the yearly numbers cover all of them, not just Havana.
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 Havana
Does Havana have a public library?
Yes. Havana Public Library District, 201 West Adams Street, serves 5,923 people in and around Havana (the survey’s count) and is open about 37 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Havana Public Library District fine-free?
Yes, no late fees (the library’s 2024 survey report).
How busy is Havana’s library?
It logged 1.8 visits and lent 3.2 print items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3 visits for libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people.
What is Havana’s civic life grade?
A+ Havana is among the top 1% of U.S. towns on civic life, #3 of 754 in Illinois. 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 Havana.
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.