Photo: IvoShandor · CC BY-SA 3.0Pontiac Township’s library runs 41 programs per 1,000 residents, against a typical 24 for libraries its size
Pontiac Public Library serves 11,150 people in and around Pontiac Township. Last year it lent 31K print books and media and logged 28K visits.
The short version on Pontiac Township’s library
Few residents carry a card
Only 14% of the people Pontiac Public Library serves have a library card, against a typical 40% for its size. How it compares ↓
Most programs are for young children
67% of the 459 programs last year were for ages 11 and under, including about 3.1 a week for ages 0–5. Kids & programs ↓
A big collection for the borrowing it gets
Pontiac Public Library holds 58,000 books and other items, but the average item went out about once every two years last year. What people borrow ↓
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 Pontiac Township’s civic life grade
Pontiac 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 →
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.
Pontiac Public Library serves 11,150 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000.
Every hour the doors are open, about 11 items go out
Fiscal year 2024. The library’s own count.
Books and media off the shelf
31K 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 Pontiac Township’s library in 2024, so there’s no split between adults’ and kids’ borrowing.
Each of the 58K books and other items on the shelves went out about 0.5 time last year, on average.
About 6 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
Pontiac Public Library, 211 East Madison Street, Pontiac.
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 $1.20 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Pontiac Township cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $43. Operating budget $487K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $585K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $487K 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 1,541 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pontiac Township | Pontiac Public Library fine-free | 2.8 | 52 | — graded with its twin city |
| Rooks Creek Township | None of its own | — | — | — under 1,000 residents |
| Esmen Township | None of its own | — | — | — under 1,000 residents |
| Eppards Point Township | None of its own | — | — | — under 1,000 residents |
| Owego Township | 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.
- 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 Pontiac Township
Does Pontiac Township have a public library?
Yes. Pontiac Public Library, 211 East Madison Street, serves 11,150 people in and around Pontiac Township (the survey’s count) and is open about 52 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Pontiac Public Library fine-free?
Yes, no late fees (the library’s 2024 survey report).
How busy is Pontiac Township’s library?
It logged 2.5 visits and lent 2.8 print items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3.1 visits for libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000 people.
What is Pontiac Township’s civic life grade?
Pontiac 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 Pontiac 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.