Photo: Robb01 · CC BY-SA 3.0Mendon’s library lends 1.9 print items per resident, against a typical 3.8 for libraries its size
Four Star Public Library District serves 4,337 people in and around Mendon. Last year it lent 8,427 print books and media and logged 7,716 visits.
Mendon’s library, in brief
Below typical on every measure
Against libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people, Four Star Public Library District sits below the middle on all five per-resident measures we compare, and in the bottom 30% on five. How it compares ↓
Programs are almost all for children
86% of the 79 programs last year were for ages 11 and under, including 36 for ages 0–5. Kids & programs ↓
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; Four Star Public Library District serves 4,337 people in and around Mendon, and its numbers cover all of them.
What’s behind Mendon’s civic life grade
Mendon 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 1 of 6 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people across the U.S.
Four Star Public Library District serves 4,337 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000.
Every hour the doors are open, about 5 items go out
Fiscal year 2024, for the whole Four Star Public Library District system. The library’s own count.
Books and media off the shelf
8,427 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 Mendon’s library in 2024, so there’s no split between adults’ and kids’ borrowing.
About 1 kids’ program 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.
Find it
Four Star Public Library District, 132 West South Street, Mendon.
No late fees. Good at every Four Star Public Library District branch.
New in Mendon? The Handbook →Hours are the survey’s yearly average. Check the library’s own site for today’s hours.
What a library card is worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Mendon cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $43. Operating budget $208K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $156K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $208K 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 876 cardholders ÷ 12.
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. Four Star Public Library District serves 4,337 people in and around Mendon, so the yearly numbers cover all of them, not just Mendon.
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 Mendon
Does Mendon have a public library?
Yes. Four Star Public Library District, 132 West South Street, serves 4,337 people in and around Mendon (the survey’s count) and is open about 36 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Four Star Public Library District fine-free?
Yes, no late fees (the library’s 2024 survey report).
How busy is Mendon’s library?
It logged 1.8 visits and lent 1.9 print items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3 visits for libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people.
What is Mendon’s civic life grade?
Mendon 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 Mendon.
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.