Photo: Kepper66 · CC BY-SA 3.0Milan has no public library of its own; the nearest is Southwest Branch Library in Rock Island, 1.7 miles away
Milan doesn’t have a public library of its own. The closest is Southwest Branch Library in Rock Island, 1.7 miles away. Many small-town libraries give cards to neighbors, sometimes for a yearly fee, so call ahead.
A+Civic lifeAhead of 98% of U.S. towns · #5 of 754 in Illinois. Nonprofits and volunteering.Getting a library card from Milan
Milan borrows from the libraries next door
Milan has no public library of its own, but four libraries are within 10 miles, the closest being Southwest Branch Library in Rock Island (1.7 miles). Many small-town libraries give cards to people from neighboring towns, sometimes for a yearly fee, so call ahead. Nearest libraries ↓
Milan isn’t the only town nearby without one
Coyne Center and Oak Grove don’t have a public library of their own either. Among the towns next door, Rock Island (Rock Island Public Library), Blackhawk Township (Southwest Branch Library) and South Rock Island Township (Watts-Midtown Branch Library) do. Libraries next door ↓
The closest isn’t the one open longest
Southwest Branch Library is nearest, open about 44 hours a week. Moline Public Library, 5.3 miles away, is open about 61 hours a week, so it may be easier to fit in. Nearest libraries ↓
The nearby libraries are all fine-free
None of the four closest libraries charges late fines. Nearest libraries ↓
This summary is written from the numbers on this page. Distances are straight-line from the town center.
What’s behind Milan’s civic life grade
On community nonprofits and volunteering, Milan is ahead of 98% of U.S. towns, #5 of 754 in Illinois. Milan is graded on two of the three inputs. Both inputs put Milan near the top nationally; Milan’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 →
48 community nonprofits are registered in Milan
9.5 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 (4 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.
12.4%
12.4% of Milan’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 Milan’s residents live; 2022.
The closest is 1.7 miles away
Closest first, measured from the center of Milan. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Moline | Moline Public Library fine-free | 5.2 | 61 | B+ |
| South Moline Township | Moline Public Library fine-free | 5.2 | 61 | B |
| Rock Island | Rock Island Public Library fine-free | 4.2 | 44 | B+ |
| Blackhawk Township | Southwest Branch Library fine-free | 4.2 | 44 | A |
| South Rock Island Township | Watts-Midtown Branch Library fine-free | 4.2 | 56 | A− |
| Coyne Center | None of its own | — | — | — under 1,000 residents |
| Oak Grove | 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 Milan
Does Milan have a public library?
No. The closest is Southwest Branch Library in Rock Island, 1.7 miles from the town center. Many libraries give cards to people from neighboring towns, sometimes for a yearly fee, so call ahead.
What is Milan’s civic life grade?
A+ Milan is ahead of 98% of U.S. towns on civic life, #5 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 Milan.
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.