Photo: formulanone · CC BY-SA 2.0Momence Township’s library runs 80 programs per 1,000 residents, against a typical 34 for libraries its size
Edward Chipman Public Library serves 6,150 people in and around Momence Township. Last year it lent 16K print books and media and logged 8,549 visits.
What stands out about Edward Chipman Public Library
Read from the library’s own yearly report. The page puts what stands out first.
What’s behind Momence Township’s civic life grade
Momence Township 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 →
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.
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.
Edward Chipman Public Library serves 6,150 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000.
Every hour the doors are open, about 6 items go out
Fiscal year 2024, for the whole Edward Chipman Public Library system. The library’s own count.
Books and media off the shelf
16K 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 Momence Township’s library in 2024, so there’s no split between adults’ and kids’ borrowing.
A National Register landmark since 2017
Edward Chipman Public Library, 126 North Locust Street, Momence.
Good at every Edward Chipman Public Library branch.
New in Momence Township? The Handbook →Hours are the survey’s yearly average. Check the library’s own site for today’s hours.
Edward Chipman Public Library
Chipman, Edward, Public Library was added to the National Register of Historic Places on Feb 7, 2017. It is significant for its education at the local level.
The Edward Chipman Public Library is a historic public library located at 126 N. Locust Street in Momence, Illinois. Momence's library board was formed in 1901, and the town's first library opened in 1907 in three rooms in the Momence State and Savings Bank. Edward Chipman, the bank's main stockholder, left $10,000 for a new library building upon his death in 1910, and the current building was completed in 1912.
More about the building →For every $1 it spends, the library lends about $2.53 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Momence Township cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $43. Operating budget $154K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $391K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $154K budget.
Late fines apply to some overdue items.
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 3,728 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yellowhead Township | Grant Park Public Library | 2.4 | 25 | B− |
| Momence Township | Edward Chipman Public Library | — | 48 | — graded with its twin city |
| Lake Township | Newton County Public Library | — | 47 | A− |
| Ganeer Township | None of its own | — | — | C+ |
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. Edward Chipman Public Library serves 6,150 people in and around Momence Township, so the yearly numbers cover all of them, not just Momence Township.
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 Momence Township
Does Momence Township have a public library?
Yes. Edward Chipman Public Library, 126 North Locust Street, serves 6,150 people in and around Momence Township (the survey’s count) and is open about 48 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Edward Chipman Public Library fine-free?
It charges late fines on some overdue items (the library’s 2024 survey report).
How busy is Momence Township’s library?
It logged 1.4 visits and lent 2.6 print items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3 visits for libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people.
What is Momence Township’s civic life grade?
Momence Township 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 Momence 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. 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.