Sherman Township’s library runs 148 programs per 1,000 residents, against a typical 34 for libraries its size
Linwood Community Library District #1 serves 4,324 people in and around Sherman Township. Last year it lent 9,381 print books and media and logged 8,800 visits.
The short version on Sherman Township’s library
Four times the programs of a typical library its size
Linwood Community Library District #1 ran 641 programs last year, about 12 a week. That’s 148 per 1,000 residents, against a typical 34. Kids & programs ↓
Few residents carry a card
Only 16% of the people Linwood Community Library District #1 serves have a library card, against a typical 42% for its size. How it compares ↓
Linwood Community Library District #1 serves more than Sherman Township
The library’s service area covers 4,324 people in and around Sherman Township, so its per-resident numbers are measured against that wider population. How it compares ↓
Programs lean toward adults
68% of the 641 programs last year were for adults: classes, talks, clubs and events. 170 were for children. Kids & programs ↓
Kids’ books are most of what goes out
Children’s books and media make up 60% of print loans. Per resident, kids’ borrowing is lower than at 59% 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 Sherman Township’s civic life grade
On community nonprofits and volunteering, Sherman Township is ahead of 49% of U.S. towns, #88 of 149 in Kansas. Sherman Township is graded on two of the three inputs. The share of younger adults in volunteering groups holds the grade up; Sherman Township’s count of community nonprofits pulls it down.
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 →
8 community nonprofits are registered in Sherman Township
2.8 per 1,000 residents, against a U.S. town median of 3.7. The largest group: education.
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 (3 here), since whether a church registers depends on its denomination, not the town.
9.2%
9.2% of Sherman Township’s Facebook users aged 25–44 belong to a volunteering or activism group, against 8.7% in the typical Kansas 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 Sherman Township’s residents live; 2022.
About 3 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.
Ahead of most similar-size libraries on 3 of 7 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people across the U.S.
Linwood Community Library District #1 serves 4,324 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000.
Every hour the doors are open, about 3 items go out
Fiscal year 2024. The library’s own count.
More than half the print loans are kids’ books
9,381 print loans last year. The library didn’t report its e-book and e-audiobook loans.
Each of the 12K books and other items on the shelves went out about 0.8 time last year, on average.
Borrow from home with your card, plus research databases: courses, journals, genealogy and more.
Find it
Linwood Community Library District #1, 19649 Linwood Rd, Linwood.
No late fees. E-books and audiobooks from home. Research databases: courses, journals, genealogy.
New in Sherman Township? The Handbook →Hours are the survey’s yearly average. Check the library’s own site for today’s hours.
What a library card is worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Sherman Township cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $43. Operating budget $273K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $185K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $273K 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 700 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sherman Township | Linwood Community Library District #1 fine-free | 2.2 | 53 | B− |
| Fairmount Township | Basehor Community Library, Dist #2, Lv. Co. fine-free | — | 62 | B− |
| Eudora Township | Eudora Community Library fine-free | — | 52 | C+ |
| De Soto | De Soto Library fine-free | — | 35 | B |
| Lexington Township | None of its own | — | — | C− |
| Stranger Township | None of its own | — | — | C+ |
| Reno Township | None of its own | — | — | 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.
- Digital loans not reported. The library didn’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 Sherman Township
Does Sherman Township have a public library?
Yes. Linwood Community Library District #1, 19649 Linwood Rd, serves 4,324 people in and around Sherman Township (the survey’s count) and is open about 53 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Linwood Community Library District #1 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 Sherman Township’s library?
It logged 2.0 visits and lent 2.2 print items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3 visits for libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people.
What is Sherman Township’s civic life grade?
B− Sherman Township is ahead of 49% of U.S. towns on civic life, #88 of 149 in Kansas. 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 Sherman Township.
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.