Sidell’s library runs 6.2 programs per 1,000 residents, against a typical 60 for libraries its size
Sidell District Library serves 1,605 people in and around Sidell. Last year it lent 4,690 books, movies and e-books and logged 2,466 visits.
Sidell’s library, in brief
Few programs for a library this size
Sidell District Library offered 10 programs last year, 6.2 per 1,000 residents against a typical 60. Kids & programs ↓
Few residents carry a card
Only 10% 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; Sidell District Library serves 1,605 people in and around Sidell, 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 Sidell’s civic life grade
Sidell 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 8 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving under 2,500 people across the U.S.
Sidell District Library serves 1,605 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 Sidell District Library system. The library’s own count.
Almost half the print loans are kids’ books
4,690 loans last year: print, kids’ and digital.
10 programs a year
Story times, clubs, classes and events, across the whole system, by who they’re for.
Programs last year by age group
Find it
Sidell District Library, 101 East Market Street, Sidell.
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 Sidell cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $54. Operating budget $83K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $72K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $83K 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 160 cardholders ÷ 12.
What this data can and can’t tell you
From the Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024.
- System-wide. Sidell District Library serves 1,605 people in and around Sidell, so the yearly numbers cover all of them, not just Sidell.
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 Sidell
Does Sidell have a public library?
Yes. Sidell District Library, 101 East Market Street, serves 1,605 people in and around Sidell (the survey’s count) and is open about 28 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Sidell District Library fine-free?
Yes, no late fees (the library’s 2024 survey report).
How busy is Sidell’s library?
It logged 1.5 visits and lent 2.9 items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3.5 visits for libraries serving under 2,500 people.
What is Sidell’s civic life grade?
Sidell 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 Sidell.
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.