Photo: User:Mingusboodle · Public domainFranklin’s library is a branch of Johnson County Public Library, which lends more per resident than 88% of systems its size
Franklin’s library is the Franklin Branch, a branch of Johnson County Public Library, which serves 124,056 people and lent 1.3M items last year.
Franklin’s library, in brief
Three times the programs of a typical library its size
The Johnson County Public Library system ran 3,472 programs last year, about 67 a week. That’s 28 per 1,000 residents, against a typical 9. People show up: 65,000 attended. Kids & programs ↓
Kids’ borrowing is a standout
Children’s books and media are 54% of print loans, and kids’ borrowing per resident is higher than at 88% of similar-size libraries. Kids & programs ↓
A system of heavy borrowers
The Johnson County Public Library system lends 7.8 print items per resident, against a typical 3.2 for libraries serving 100,000+ people, more than 88% of similar-size libraries. What people borrow ↓
Open about 65 hours a week
The Franklin branch is open about 65 hours a week, averaged over the year. The buildings ↓
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; Franklin’s library is a branch of Johnson County Public Library, so they cover the whole system (124,056 people), not just the Franklin branch.
What’s behind Franklin’s civic life grade
On community nonprofits and volunteering, Franklin is ahead of 86% of U.S. towns, #105 of 571 in Indiana. Franklin is graded on two of the three inputs. Both inputs are above most U.S. towns; the share of younger adults in volunteering groups 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 →
140 community nonprofits are registered in Franklin
5.4 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 (47 here), since whether a church registers depends on its denomination, not the town. 1 more name a national or statewide reach and are left out.
9.9%
9.9% of Franklin’s Facebook users aged 25–44 belong to a volunteering or activism group, against 9.1% in the typical Indiana 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 Franklin’s residents live; 2022.
About 35 kids’ programs a week
Story times, clubs, classes and events, across the whole system, by who they’re for.
Programs last year by age group
story times and programs a week for ages 0–5, on average.
Ahead of most similar-size libraries on all 8 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 100,000+ people across the U.S.
Johnson County Public Library serves 124,056 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 100,000+.
Every hour the doors are open, about 80 items go out
Fiscal year 2024, for the whole Johnson County Public Library system. The library’s own count.
More than half the print loans are kids’ books
1.3M loans last year: print, kids’ and digital.
351,622 e-books, e-audiobooks and streams last year. Borrow from home with your card, plus research databases: courses, journals, genealogy and more.
2 places to borrow in Franklin
Franklin Branch, 401 State Street, Franklin.
No late fees. E-books and audiobooks from home. Loans renew on their own if no one’s waiting. Research databases: courses, journals, genealogy. Good at every Johnson County Public Library branch.
New in Franklin? The Handbook →Hours are the survey’s yearly average. Check the library’s own site for today’s hours.
Other Johnson County Public Library branches in Franklin
For every $1 it spends, the library lends about $2.62 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Franklin cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $36. Operating budget $7.6M.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $2M worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $7.6M 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 55,021 cardholders ÷ 12.
Libraries next door
Who has a library of their own, and how much each town borrows. Tap a town to see its library.
| Town | Library | Loans per resident | Hours | Civic life |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Franklin | Franklin Branch fine-free | — | 65 | A |
| Whiteland | Clark Pleasant Branch fine-free | — | 65 | C |
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.
- System-wide. Franklin Branch is one branch of Johnson County Public Library, so the yearly numbers cover every branch and all 124,056 people it serves.
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 Franklin
Does Franklin have a public library?
Yes: Franklin Branch, 401 State Street, is a branch of Johnson County Public Library, which serves 124,056 people. The branch is open about 65 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Johnson County Public Library fine-free? Does it lend e-books?
Yes to both: no late fees, and e-books, audiobooks and research databases with a card (the library’s 2024 survey report).
How busy is Franklin’s library?
It logged 3.3 visits and lent 10.6 items per resident in 2024, against a typical 2.1 visits for libraries serving 100,000+ people.
What is Franklin’s civic life grade?
A Franklin is ahead of 86% of U.S. towns on civic life, #105 of 571 in Indiana. 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 Franklin.
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.