Sheldon’s library runs 20 programs per 1,000 residents, against a typical 60 for libraries its size
Sheldon Public Library District serves 1,638 people in and around Sheldon. Last year it lent 6,234 print books and media and logged 4,041 visits.
What Sheldon’s library is like
Below typical on every measure
Against libraries serving under 2,500 people, Sheldon Public Library District sits below the middle on all five per-resident measures we compare, and in the bottom 30% on three. How it compares ↓
Few residents carry a card
Only 16% of the people the system serves have a library card, against a typical 54% 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; Sheldon Public Library District serves 1,638 people in and around Sheldon, and its numbers cover all of them; in a town this small, one busy program or a few avid readers move the per-resident numbers.
What’s behind Sheldon’s civic life grade
Sheldon 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 1 of 6 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving under 2,500 people across the U.S.
Sheldon Public Library District serves 1,638 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving under 2,500.
Every hour the doors are open, about 3 items go out
Fiscal year 2024, for the whole Sheldon Public Library District system. The library’s own count.
Books and media off the shelf
6,234 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 Sheldon’s library in 2024, so there’s no split between adults’ and kids’ borrowing.
33 programs a year
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
Sheldon Public Library District, 125 North Fifth Street, Sheldon.
No late fees. Good at every Sheldon Public Library District branch.
New in Sheldon? The Handbook →Hours are the survey’s yearly average. Check the library’s own site for today’s hours.
What a library card is worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Sheldon cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $54. Operating budget $151K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $120K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $151K 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 260 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. Sheldon Public Library District serves 1,638 people in and around Sheldon, so the yearly numbers cover all of them, not just Sheldon.
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 Sheldon
Does Sheldon have a public library?
Yes. Sheldon Public Library District, 125 North Fifth Street, serves 1,638 people in and around Sheldon (the survey’s count) and is open about 50 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Sheldon Public Library District fine-free?
Yes, no late fees (the library’s 2024 survey report).
How busy is Sheldon’s library?
It logged 2.5 visits and lent 3.8 print items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3.5 visits for libraries serving under 2,500 people.
What is Sheldon’s civic life grade?
Sheldon 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 Sheldon.
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.