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Somonauk Public Library District

Somonauk Township’s library logs 7.9 visits per resident, against a typical 3 for libraries its size

Somonauk Public Library District serves 9,255 people in and around Somonauk Township. Last year it lent 29K print books and media and logged 73K visits.

700 East Lasalle Street, Somonauk 60552 · about 55 hours a week
–Civic lifeNot graded: fewer than 1,000 residents
Borrowed a year
29K
3.1 per resident
Visits a year
73K
7.9 per resident · Above typical (3)
Programs & events
588
about 11 a week · 3,964 attended
Cardholders
23%
2,162 cards
Open
55 hrs
a week
In brief

What Somonauk Township’s library is like

More of a place to be than a place to borrow

Visits per resident beat 89% of similar-size libraries, while borrowing beats only 40%. The building also logs about 1 Wi-Fi sessions a day. A year at the library ↓

Most programs are for young children

73% of the 588 programs last year were for ages 11 and under, including about 2.8 a week for ages 0–5. Kids & programs ↓

Somonauk Public Library District serves more than Somonauk Township

The library’s service area covers 9,255 people in and around Somonauk Township, so its per-resident numbers are measured against that wider population. How it compares ↓

A big collection for the borrowing it gets

Somonauk Public Library District holds 64,000 books and other items, but the average item went out less than once 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.

Civic life grade

What’s behind Somonauk Township’s civic life grade

Somonauk Township isn’t graded on civic life: TownRatings grades towns of 1,000 residents or more.

–
Civic lifeA character grade: shown, never part of Somonauk Township’s overall grade.

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 →

★ What stands out · A year at the library

Every hour the doors are open, about 10 items go out

Fiscal year 2024. The library’s own count.

73K
visits
7.9 per resident
29K
loans, print + digital
3.1 per resident
588
programs & events
3,964 attended
2,162
library cards
23% of people served
Every open hour10items borrowed
Every week76people at a program
Every day1Wi-Fi sessions
5 staff (full-time equivalent)24 public computers64K books & media on the shelves
How it compares

Ahead of most similar-size libraries on 3 of 6 measures

Per resident, against libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people across the U.S.

Visits per resident 7.9 visits · typical 3Higher than 89%
Borrowing per resident 3.1 print items · typical 3.8Lower than 60%
Program attendance 0.4 attendees · typical 0.5Lower than 56%
Programs offered 63.5 per 1,000 residents · typical 34Higher than 77%
Cardholders 23% of residents · typical 42%Lower than 81%
Spending $55 per resident · typical $43Higher than 66%
Fewer per residentMore per resident
Size group

Somonauk Public Library District serves 9,255 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000.

What people borrow

Books and media off the shelf

29K 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 Somonauk Township’s library in 2024, so there’s no split between adults’ and kids’ borrowing.

How hard the shelves work
0.4×

Each of the 64K books and other items on the shelves went out about 0.4 time last year, on average.

Kids & programs

About 8 kids’ programs a week

Story times, clubs, classes and events, by who they’re for.

Schools in Somonauk Township →

Programs last year by age group

Ages 0–5146
Ages 6–11284
Teens12
Adults136
All ages10
Little ones
2.8

story times and programs a week for ages 0–5, on average.

3,964
people at programs
588
programs
The building

Find it

Somonauk Public Library District, 700 East Lasalle Street, Somonauk.

55
hours open a week
15,000
square feet
64K
books & media

Hours are the survey’s yearly average. Check the library’s own site for today’s hours.

What your card is worth

For every $1 it spends, the library lends about $1.03 worth

Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Somonauk Township cardholder borrows.

In a month I’d use…
Books$17 each
1
Kids’ books$12 each
0
E-books & audio$15 each
0
Movies & music$4 each
0
Programs & classes$10 a program
0
Computer & Wi-Fi$3 a session
0
Your card saves you about
$204
a year at retail prices · $17 a month

Who pays for it
$55 per resident a year

Typical for a library this size: $43. Operating budget $513K.

Local taxes 94%State 3%Gifts & other 3%

Last year the library lent and hosted about $527K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $513K 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 2,162 cardholders ÷ 12.

Next door

Libraries next door

Who has a library of their own, and how much each town borrows. Tap a town to see its library.

12+ loans per resident8–124–8Under 4No library / shared system
TownLibraryLoans per residentHoursCivic life
Sandwich TownshipSandwich Public Library District fine-free4.453— graded with its twin city
Somonauk TownshipSomonauk Public Library District fine-free3.155— graded with its twin city
Northville TownshipNone of its own——C
Victor TownshipNone 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).

How to read these numbers

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 Somonauk Township

Does Somonauk Township have a public library?

Yes. Somonauk Public Library District, 700 East Lasalle Street, serves 9,255 people in and around Somonauk Township (the survey’s count) and is open about 55 hours a week, averaged over the year.

Is Somonauk Public Library District fine-free?

Yes, no late fees (the library’s 2024 survey report).

How busy is Somonauk Township’s library?

It logged 7.9 visits and lent 3.1 print items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3 visits for libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people.

What is Somonauk Township’s civic life grade?

Somonauk 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 Somonauk Township.

Town Square →
Start a conversation

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.