Toulon’s library logs 22 visits per resident, against a typical 3.5 for libraries its size
Toulon Public Library District serves 2,199 people in and around Toulon. Last year it lent 16K print books and media and logged 48K visits.
The short version on Toulon’s library
Six times the programs of a typical library its size
Toulon Public Library District ran 828 programs last year, about 16 a week. That’s 377 per 1,000 residents, against a typical 60. People show up: 5,334 attended. Kids & programs ↓
People come to Toulon Public Library District a lot
Toulon Public Library District logs 22 visits per resident, against a typical 3.5 for libraries serving under 2,500 people, more than 98% of similar-size libraries. Borrowing is above typical too, at 7.4 print items per resident. How it compares ↓
Toulon Public Library District serves more than Toulon
The library’s service area covers 2,199 people in and around Toulon, so its per-resident numbers are measured against that wider population. How it compares ↓
A place to get online
Toulon Public Library District logs about 144 Wi-Fi sessions a day and has 6 public computers. That’s 24 sessions per resident a year. A year at the library ↓
Programs lean toward adults
50% of the 828 programs last year were for adults: classes, talks, clubs and events. 242 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; in a town this small, one busy program or a few avid readers move the per-resident numbers.
What’s behind Toulon’s civic life grade
On community nonprofits and volunteering, Toulon is ahead of 96% of U.S. towns. Toulon is graded on two of the three inputs. Both inputs are above most U.S. towns; Toulon’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 Toulon
7.4 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 (2 here), since whether a church registers depends on its denomination, not the town.
11.2%
11.2% of Toulon’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 Toulon’s residents live; 2022.
Every hour the doors are open, about 6 items go out
Fiscal year 2024. The library’s own count.
Ahead of most similar-size libraries on 5 of 6 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving under 2,500 people across the U.S.
Toulon Public Library District serves 2,199 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving under 2,500.
Books and media off the shelf
16K 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 Toulon’s library in 2024, so there’s no split between adults’ and kids’ borrowing.
Each of the 23K books and other items on the shelves went out about 0.7 time last year, on average.
About 5 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.
Find it
Toulon Public Library District, 617 E. Jefferson St., Toulon.
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 $1.76 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Toulon cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $54. Operating budget $276K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $487K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $276K 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 644 cardholders ÷ 12.
What this data can and can’t tell you
From the Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024.
- Visits count everyone. Toulon’s 47,822 visits include people from nearby towns and summer visitors; the survey has no resident share.
- 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 Toulon
Does Toulon have a public library?
Yes. Toulon Public Library District, 617 E. Jefferson St., serves 2,199 people in and around Toulon (the survey’s count) and is open about 49 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Toulon Public Library District fine-free?
It charges late fines on some overdue items (the library’s 2024 survey report).
How busy is Toulon’s library?
It logged 21.7 visits and lent 7.4 print items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3.5 visits for libraries serving under 2,500 people.
What is Toulon’s civic life grade?
A+ Toulon is ahead of 96% 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 Toulon.
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.