Virden’s library runs 1.3 programs per 1,000 residents, against a typical 34 for libraries its size
Grand Prairie of the West Public Library District serves 4,547 people in and around Virden. Last year it lent 9,950 books, movies and e-books and logged 11K visits.
The short version on Virden’s library
Below typical on every measure
Against libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people, Grand Prairie of the West Public Library District sits below the middle on all seven per-resident measures we compare, and in the bottom 30% on six. How it compares ↓
Few programs for a library this size
Grand Prairie of the West Public Library District offered 6 programs last year, 1.3 per 1,000 residents against a typical 34. Kids & programs ↓
Few residents carry a card
Only 12% of the people Grand Prairie of the West Public Library District serves have a library card, against a typical 42% for its size. How it compares ↓
Grand Prairie of the West Public Library District serves more than Virden
The library’s service area covers 4,547 people in and around Virden, so its per-resident numbers are measured against that wider population. How it compares ↓
A big collection for the borrowing it gets
Grand Prairie of the West Public Library District holds 27,000 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.
What’s behind Virden’s civic life grade
On community nonprofits and volunteering, Virden is ahead of 44% of U.S. towns, #374 of 754 in Illinois. Virden is graded on two of the three inputs. The share of younger adults in volunteering groups holds the grade up; Virden’s count of community nonprofits pulls it down.
Most U.S. towns with similar household incomes ($60K–$101K) score higher, so income alone doesn’t account for it.
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 →
5 community nonprofits are registered in Virden
1.6 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 (7 here), since whether a church registers depends on its denomination, not the town.
10.9%
10.9% of Virden’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 Virden’s residents live; 2022.
Below most similar-size libraries on all 8 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people across the U.S.
Grand Prairie of the West Public Library District serves 4,547 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000.
Every hour the doors are open, about 5 items go out
Fiscal year 2024. The library’s own count.
Mostly books and media off the shelf
9,950 loans last year: print, kids’ and digital.
Each of the 27K books and other items on the shelves went out about 0.3 time last year, on average.
806 e-books, e-audiobooks and streams last year. Borrow from home with your card.
6 programs a year
Story times, clubs, classes and events, by who they’re for.
Programs last year by age group
Find it
Grand Prairie of the West Public Library District, 142 West Jackson Street, Virden.
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 $1.08 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Virden cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $43. Operating budget $160K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $172K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $160K 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 554 cardholders ÷ 12.
Libraries next door
Virden ranks 2nd of 3 for borrowing per resident. Tap a town to see its library.
| Town | Library | Loans per resident | Hours | Civic life |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Auburn Township | Auburn Public Library District | 3.5 | 34 | C |
| Virden | Grand Prairie of the West Public Library District fine-free | 2.2 | 38 | C+ |
| Virden Township | Grand Prairie of the West Public Library District fine-free | 2.2 | 38 | — graded with its twin city |
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).
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 Virden
Does Virden have a public library?
Yes. Grand Prairie of the West Public Library District, 142 West Jackson Street, serves 4,547 people in and around Virden (the survey’s count) and is open about 38 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Grand Prairie of the West Public Library District fine-free? Does it lend e-books?
Yes to both: no late fees, and e-books, audiobooks with a card (the library’s 2024 survey report).
How busy is Virden’s library?
It logged 2.4 visits and lent 2.2 items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3 visits for libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people.
What is Virden’s civic life grade?
C+ Virden is ahead of 44% of U.S. towns on civic life, #374 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 Virden.
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.