Hardy Hydroelectric Plant · Photo: Larry Pieniazek, Lar (commons) or User:Lar (wikipedia) · CC BY-SA 3.0Big Prairie Township has no public library of its own; the nearest is Croton Township Library in Newaygo, 5.9 miles away
Big Prairie Township doesn’t have a public library of its own. The closest is Croton Township Library in Newaygo, 5.9 miles away. Many small-town libraries give cards to neighbors, sometimes for a yearly fee, so call ahead.
BCivic lifeAhead of 60% of U.S. towns · #368 of 697 in Michigan. Nonprofits and volunteering.Getting a library card from Big Prairie Township
Big Prairie Township borrows from the libraries next door
Big Prairie Township has no public library of its own, but three libraries are within 10 miles, the closest being Croton Township Library in Newaygo (5.9 miles). Many small-town libraries give cards to people from neighboring towns, sometimes for a yearly fee, so call ahead. Nearest libraries ↓
Big Prairie Township isn’t the only town nearby without one
Everett Township, Aetna Township and Goodwell Township don’t have a public library of their own either. Among the towns next door, Croton Township (Croton Township Library) does. Libraries next door ↓
The closest isn’t the one open longest
Croton Township Library is nearest, open about 36 hours a week. Timothy C. Hauenstein Reynolds Township Library, 10 miles away, is open about 51 hours a week, so it may be easier to fit in. Nearest libraries ↓
This summary is written from the numbers on this page. Distances are straight-line from the town center.
What’s behind Big Prairie Township’s civic life grade
On community nonprofits and volunteering, Big Prairie Township is ahead of 60% of U.S. towns, #368 of 697 in Michigan. Big Prairie Township is graded on two of the three inputs. The share of younger adults in volunteering groups holds the grade up; Big Prairie 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 →
6 community nonprofits are registered in Big Prairie Township
2.3 per 1,000 residents, against a U.S. town median of 3.7. The largest group: youth, sports & recreation.
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.
13.2%
13.2% of Big Prairie Township’s Facebook users aged 25–44 belong to a volunteering or activism group, against 12.4% in the typical Michigan 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 Big Prairie Township’s residents live; 2022.
The closest is 5.9 miles away
Closest first, measured from the center of Big Prairie Township. Each one’s hours, and whether it charges late fines.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Croton Township | Croton Township Library | 3.8 | 36 | C |
| Everett Township | None of its own | — | — | B+ |
| Aetna Township | None of its own | — | — | B |
| Goodwell Township | None of its own | — | — | — under 1,000 residents |
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 Big Prairie Township
Does Big Prairie Township have a public library?
No. The closest is Croton Township Library in Newaygo, 5.9 miles from the town center. Many libraries give cards to people from neighboring towns, sometimes for a yearly fee, so call ahead.
What is Big Prairie Township’s civic life grade?
B Big Prairie Township is ahead of 60% of U.S. towns on civic life, #368 of 697 in Michigan. 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 Big Prairie 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.