Photo: Nyttend · Public domainMonmouth’s library runs 14 programs per 1,000 residents, against a typical 24 for libraries its size
Warren County Public Library District serves 16,831 people in and around Monmouth. Last year it lent 66K print books and media and logged 56K visits.
Monmouth’s library, in brief
Most programs are for young children
75% of the 244 programs last year were for ages 11 and under, including 51 for ages 0–5. Kids & programs ↓
Few residents carry a card
Only 15% of the people the system serves have a library card, against a typical 40% for its size. How it compares ↓
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; Warren County Public Library District serves 16,831 people in and around Monmouth, and its numbers cover all of them.
What’s behind Monmouth’s civic life grade
On community nonprofits and volunteering, Monmouth is ahead of 88% of U.S. towns, #57 of 754 in Illinois. Monmouth is graded on two of the three inputs. Both inputs are above most U.S. towns; Monmouth’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 →
56 community nonprofits are registered in Monmouth
6.5 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 (9 here), since whether a church registers depends on its denomination, not the town.
9.3%
9.3% of Monmouth’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 Monmouth’s residents live; 2022.
Ahead of most similar-size libraries on 3 of 6 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000 people across the U.S.
Warren County Public Library District serves 16,831 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000.
Every hour the doors are open, about 13 items go out
Fiscal year 2024, for the whole Warren County Public Library District system. The library’s own count.
Books and media off the shelf
66K 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 Monmouth’s library in 2024, so there’s no split between adults’ and kids’ borrowing.
About 4 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.
Find it
Warren County Public Library District, 62 Public Square, Monmouth.
No late fees. Good at every Warren County Public Library District branch.
New in Monmouth? The Handbook →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 $1.50 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Monmouth cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $43. Operating budget $802K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $1.2M worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $802K 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 2,536 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. Warren County Public Library District serves 16,831 people in and around Monmouth, so the yearly numbers cover all of them, not just Monmouth.
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 Monmouth
Does Monmouth have a public library?
Yes. Warren County Public Library District, 62 Public Square, serves 16,831 people in and around Monmouth (the survey’s count) and is open about 56 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Warren County Public Library District fine-free?
Yes, no late fees (the library’s 2024 survey report).
How busy is Monmouth’s library?
It logged 3.4 visits and lent 3.9 print items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3.1 visits for libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000 people.
What is Monmouth’s civic life grade?
A Monmouth is ahead of 88% of U.S. towns on civic life, #57 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 Monmouth.
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.