Burr Oak’s library logs 0.6 visits per resident, against a typical 3 for libraries its size
Burr Oak Township Library serves 2,639 people in and around Burr Oak. Last year it lent 1,642 print books and media and logged 1,583 visits.
The short version on Burr Oak’s library
Burr Oak Township Library is used less than most libraries its size
Burr Oak Township Library records 0.6 visits per resident, against a typical 3 for libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people. Borrowing is 0.6 print items per resident, against a typical 3.8. It also spends less than most: $9 per resident, against a typical $43. How it compares ↓
Few programs for a library this size
Burr Oak Township Library offered 6 programs last year, 2.3 per 1,000 residents against a typical 34. Kids & programs ↓
Burr Oak Township Library serves more than Burr Oak
The library’s service area covers 2,639 people in and around Burr Oak, so its per-resident numbers are measured against that wider population. How it compares ↓
Runs on less money than most
Burr Oak Township Library spends $9 per resident, less than 96% of similar-size libraries (typical: $43). What your card is worth ↓
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 Burr Oak’s civic life grade
Burr Oak isn’t graded on civic life: TownRatings grades towns of 1,000 residents or more.
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 →
Ahead of most similar-size libraries on 1 of 7 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people across the U.S.
Burr Oak Township Library serves 2,639 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000.
Every hour the doors are open, about 1 item goes out
Fiscal year 2024. The library’s own count.
More than half the print loans are kids’ books
1,642 print loans last year. The library didn’t report its e-book and e-audiobook loans.
Each of the 16K books and other items on the shelves went out about 0.1 time last year, on average.
Borrow from home with your card, plus research databases: courses, journals, genealogy and more.
6 programs a year
Story times, clubs, classes and events, by who they’re for.
Programs last year by age group
Find it
Burr Oak Township Library, 220 South Second Street, Burr Oak.
E-books and audiobooks from home. Research databases: courses, journals, genealogy.
New in Burr Oak? The Handbook →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 $1.03 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Burr Oak cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $43. Operating budget $25K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $26K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $25K 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 1,885 cardholders ÷ 12.
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 Burr Oak
Does Burr Oak have a public library?
Yes. Burr Oak Township Library, 220 South Second Street, serves 2,639 people in and around Burr Oak (the survey’s count) and is open about 28 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Burr Oak Township Library fine-free? Does it lend e-books?
It charges late fines on some overdue items, and it lends e-books and audiobooks with a card (the library’s 2024 survey report).
How busy is Burr Oak’s library?
It logged 0.6 visits and lent 0.6 print items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3 visits for libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people.
What is Burr Oak’s civic life grade?
Burr Oak isn’t graded on civic life: TownRatings grades towns of 1,000 residents or more. How it works.
Book talk
Reading, story times and the library in Burr Oak.
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.