Photo: Nyttend · Public domainSullivan’s library logs 11 visits per resident, against a typical 3 for libraries its size
Elizabeth Titus Memorial Library serves Sullivan’s 4,413 residents. Last year it lent 38K books, movies and e-books and logged 50K visits.
Sullivan’s library, in brief
Sullivan ranks 4th in Illinois for library use
Out of 260 Illinois towns with a library of their own, Sullivan comes 4th for visits per resident. How it compares ↓
Sullivan uses its library more than almost any town its size
Elizabeth Titus Memorial Library logs 11 visits per resident, against a typical 3 for libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people, and lends 8.6 print items per resident against a typical 3.8. On both counts it beats 87% of similar-size libraries across the U.S. How it compares ↓
Kids borrow more here than almost anywhere
Children’s books and media are 49% of print loans, and kids’ borrowing per resident is higher than at 87% of similar-size libraries. That works out to about 17 items per child in Sullivan last year. Kids & programs ↓
Sullivan invests in its library
Elizabeth Titus Memorial Library spends $124 per resident a year, about three times the typical $43 for a library its size. Almost all of it (94%) comes from local taxes. What your card is worth ↓
Almost all the borrowing is off the shelf
Only 0% of loans are e-books, audiobooks or streaming, fewer per resident than at 99% of similar-size libraries. 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 Sullivan’s civic life grade
On library visits, community nonprofits and volunteering, Sullivan is ahead of 97% of U.S. towns, #11 of 754 in Illinois. All three inputs are above most U.S. towns; library visits rank 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 →
27 community nonprofits are registered in Sullivan
6.2 per 1,000 residents, against a U.S. town median of 3.7. The largest group: civic groups, clubs & veterans.
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 (18 here), since whether a church registers depends on its denomination, not the town.
12.9%
12.9% of Sullivan’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 Sullivan’s residents live; 2022.
Every hour the doors are open, about 12 items go out
Fiscal year 2024. The library’s own count.
Ahead of most similar-size libraries on 6 of 8 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people across the U.S.
Elizabeth Titus Memorial Library serves 4,413 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000.
Almost half the print loans are kids’ books
38K loans last year: print, kids’ and digital.
Each of the 46K books and other items on the shelves went out about 0.8 time last year, on average.
About 4 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.
children’s books and media borrowed per child under 18 in Sullivan last year.
Find it
Elizabeth Titus Memorial Library, 2 West Water Street, Sullivan.
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 $1.12 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Sullivan cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $43. Operating budget $548K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $612K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $548K 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 839 cardholders ÷ 12.
What this data can and can’t tell you
From the Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024.
- The library’s own count. Libraries report their own visits, loans and programs. A library that didn’t respond keeps its address and hours here, with no numbers.
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 Sullivan
Does Sullivan have a public library?
Yes. Elizabeth Titus Memorial Library, 2 West Water Street, serves Sullivan’s 4,413 residents (the survey’s count) and is open about 60 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Elizabeth Titus Memorial Library fine-free?
It charges late fines on some overdue items (the library’s 2024 survey report).
How busy is Sullivan’s library?
It logged 11.4 visits and lent 8.6 items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3 visits for libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people.
What is Sullivan’s civic life grade?
A+ Sullivan is ahead of 97% of U.S. towns on civic life, #11 of 754 in Illinois. 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 Sullivan.
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.