Photo: Nyttend · Public domainHennepin’s library lends 4.6 print items per resident, against a typical 3.8 for libraries its size
Putnam County Public Library District serves Hennepin’s 5,635 residents from 6 locations. Last year it lent 26K print books and media and logged 18K visits.
Hennepin’s library, in brief
Most programs are for young children
68% of the 211 programs last year were for ages 11 and under, including 0 for ages 0–5. Kids & programs ↓
Six places to borrow in Hennepin
Putnam County Public Library District runs six locations, and one card works at all of them. The buildings ↓
Hennepin invests in its library
Putnam County Public Library District spends $87 per resident a year, about twice the typical $43 for a library its size. Almost all of it (88%) comes from local taxes. What your card is worth ↓
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 Hennepin’s civic life grade
Hennepin 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 →
What a library card is worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Hennepin cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $43. Operating budget $491K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $464K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $491K 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 1,160 cardholders ÷ 12.
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.
Putnam County Public Library District serves 5,635 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000.
Every hour the doors are open, about 4 items go out
Fiscal year 2024. The library’s own count.
Books and media off the shelf
26K 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 Hennepin’s library in 2024, so there’s no split between adults’ and kids’ borrowing.
Each of the 27K books and other items on the shelves went out about 1 time last year, on average.
About 3 kids’ programs a week
Story times, clubs, classes and events, by who they’re for.
Programs last year by age group
6 places to borrow in Hennepin
Putnam County Public Library District, 214 North Fourth Street, Hennepin.
Hours are the survey’s yearly average. Check the library’s own site for today’s hours.
Other libraries in Hennepin
Libraries next door
Hennepin borrows the most per resident of the 3 towns here. Tap a town to see its library.
| Town | Library | Loans per resident | Hours | Civic life |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hennepin | Putnam County Public Library District fine-free | 4.6 | 45 | — under 1,000 residents |
| Hennepin Township | Putnam County Public Library District fine-free | 4.6 | 45 | A− |
| Leepertown Township | Leepertown Township Public Library fine-free | 0.6 | 15 | — 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 Hennepin
Does Hennepin have a public library?
Yes. Putnam County Public Library District, 214 North Fourth Street, serves Hennepin’s 5,635 residents (the survey’s count) and is open about 45 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Putnam County Public Library District fine-free?
Yes, no late fees (the library’s 2024 survey report).
How busy is Hennepin’s library?
It logged 3.1 visits and lent 4.6 print items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3 visits for libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people.
What is Hennepin’s civic life grade?
Hennepin 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 Hennepin.
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.