Hickory Point Township’s library lends 13 print items per resident, against a typical 3.8 for libraries its size
Forsyth Public Library serves 3,734 people in and around Hickory Point Township. Last year it lent 48K print books and media and logged 33K visits.
The short version on Hickory Point Township’s library
Hickory Point Township uses its library more than almost any town its size
Forsyth Public Library logs 8.8 visits per resident, against a typical 3 for libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people, and lends 13 print items per resident against a typical 3.8. On both counts it beats 91% of similar-size libraries across the U.S. How it compares ↓
Most programs are for young children
74% of the 202 programs last year were for ages 11 and under, including about 2.9 a week for ages 0–5. Kids & programs ↓
Hickory Point Township invests in its library
Forsyth Public Library spends $116 per resident a year, about twice the typical $43 for a library its size. Almost all of it (98%) 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 Hickory Point Township’s civic life grade
On community nonprofits and volunteering, Hickory Point Township is ahead of 22% of U.S. towns, #567 of 754 in Illinois. Hickory Point Township is graded on two of the three inputs. Both inputs sit below most U.S. towns; the share of younger adults in volunteering groups comes closest to the middle.
Most U.S. towns with similar household incomes ($44K–$73K) score higher, so income alone doesn’t account for it.
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 →
48 community nonprofits are registered in Hickory Point Township
2.7 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 (20 here), since whether a church registers depends on its denomination, not the town. 3 more name a national or statewide reach and are left out.
6.7%
6.7% of Hickory Point 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 Hickory Point Township’s residents live; 2022.
Books and media off the shelf
48K 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 Hickory Point Township’s library in 2024, so there’s no split between adults’ and kids’ borrowing.
Each of the 45K books and other items on the shelves went out about 1 time last year, on average.
Ahead of most similar-size libraries on 5 of 6 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people across the U.S.
Forsyth Public Library serves 3,734 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000.
Every hour the doors are open, about 17 items go out
Fiscal year 2024. The library’s own count.
About 3 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.
Find it
Forsyth Public Library, 268 South Elwood Street, Forsyth.
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 $2.08 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Hickory Point Township cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $43. Operating budget $432K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $897K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $432K 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 972 cardholders ÷ 12.
Libraries next door
Hickory Point Township 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hickory Point Township | Forsyth Public Library fine-free | 12.7 | 55 | C− |
| Whitmore Township | Argenta-Oreana Public Library District | 6.3 | 39 | C |
| Decatur Township | Decatur Public Library fine-free | 3.1 | 59 | C |
| Maroa Township | Maroa Public Library District fine-free | — | 36 | — graded with its twin city |
| Illini Township | Barclay Public Library District fine-free | — | 50 | B+ |
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 Hickory Point Township
Does Hickory Point Township have a public library?
Yes. Forsyth Public Library, 268 South Elwood Street, serves 3,734 people in and around Hickory Point Township (the survey’s count) and is open about 55 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Forsyth Public Library fine-free?
Yes, no late fees (the library’s 2024 survey report).
How busy is Hickory Point Township’s library?
It logged 8.8 visits and lent 12.7 print items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3 visits for libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people.
What is Hickory Point Township’s civic life grade?
C− Hickory Point Township is ahead of 22% of U.S. towns on civic life, #567 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 Hickory Point 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.