Princeville’s library runs 105 programs per 1,000 residents, against a typical 34 for libraries its size
Lillie M. Evans Library District serves 3,840 people in and around Princeville. Last year it lent 30K print books and media and logged 21K visits.
Princeville’s library, in brief
Three times the programs of a typical library its size
Lillie M. Evans Library District ran 403 programs last year, about 8 a week. That’s 105 per 1,000 residents, against a typical 34. People show up: 5,854 attended. Kids & programs ↓
A well-funded system
Lillie M. Evans Library District spends $145 per resident a year, about three times the typical $43 for a library its size. Almost all of it (89%) comes from local taxes. What your card is worth ↓
Programs lean toward adults
50% of the 403 programs last year were for adults: classes, talks, clubs and events. 148 were for children. 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; Lillie M. Evans Library District serves 3,840 people in and around Princeville, and its numbers cover all of them.
What’s behind Princeville’s civic life grade
On community nonprofits and volunteering, Princeville is ahead of 87% of U.S. towns. Princeville is graded on two of the three inputs. Both inputs are above most U.S. towns; Princeville’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 →
11 community nonprofits are registered in Princeville
6.0 per 1,000 residents, against a U.S. town median of 3.7. The largest group: human services.
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 (3 here), since whether a church registers depends on its denomination, not the town.
9.2%
9.2% of Princeville’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 Princeville’s residents live; 2022.
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 5 of 6 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people across the U.S.
Lillie M. Evans Library District serves 3,840 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000.
Every hour the doors are open, about 11 items go out
Fiscal year 2024, for the whole Lillie M. Evans Library District system. The library’s own count.
Books and media off the shelf
30K 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 Princeville’s library in 2024, so there’s no split between adults’ and kids’ borrowing.
Find it
Lillie M. Evans Library District, 207 North Walnut Avenue, Princeville.
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 $1.16 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Princeville cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $43. Operating budget $557K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $644K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $557K 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 1,188 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. Lillie M. Evans Library District serves 3,840 people in and around Princeville, so the yearly numbers cover all of them, not just Princeville.
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 Princeville
Does Princeville have a public library?
Yes. Lillie M. Evans Library District, 207 North Walnut Avenue, serves 3,840 people in and around Princeville (the survey’s count) and is open about 53 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Lillie M. Evans Library District fine-free?
It charges late fines on some overdue items (the library’s 2024 survey report).
How busy is Princeville’s library?
It logged 5.4 visits and lent 7.9 print items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3 visits for libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people.
What is Princeville’s civic life grade?
A Princeville is ahead of 87% of U.S. towns on civic life. 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 Princeville.
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.