Photo: Ian Poellet · CC BY-SA 3.0Caledonia Township’s library is a branch of Alcona County Library, which lends less per resident than 58% of systems its size
Caledonia Township’s library is the Caledonia Branch Library, a branch of Alcona County Library, which serves 10,167 people and lent 34K items last year.
Caledonia Township’s library, in brief
Open only about 21 hours a week
The Caledonia Township branch keeps short hours: about 21 a week, averaged over the year, so check its schedule before you go. The building ↓
Few residents carry a card
Only 16% of the people the system serves have a library card, against a typical 40% for its size. How it compares ↓
Programs lean toward adults
55% of the 196 programs last year were for adults: classes, talks, clubs and events. 67 were for children. Kids & programs ↓
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; Caledonia Township’s library is a branch of Alcona County Library, so they cover the whole system (10,167 people), not just the Caledonia Township branch.
What’s behind Caledonia Township’s civic life grade
On community nonprofits and volunteering, Caledonia Township is ahead of 95% of U.S. towns. Caledonia Township 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 →
5 community nonprofits are registered in Caledonia Township
5.3 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 (1 here), since whether a church registers depends on its denomination, not the town.
16.2%
16.2% of Caledonia 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 Caledonia Township’s residents live; 2022.
Ahead of most similar-size libraries on 2 of 7 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000 people across the U.S.
Alcona County Library serves 10,167 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000.
Every hour the doors are open, about 6 items go out
Fiscal year 2024, for the whole Alcona County Library system. The library’s own count.
Books and media off the shelf
34K print loans last year. The library didn’t report its e-book and e-audiobook loans.
Borrow from home with your card, plus research databases: courses, journals, genealogy and more.
About 1 kids’ program 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.
Find it
Caledonia Branch Library, 1499 Hubert Road, Hubbard Lake.
No late fees. E-books and audiobooks from home. Research databases: courses, journals, genealogy. Good at every Alcona County Library branch.
New in Caledonia 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 Caledonia Township cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $43. Operating budget $608K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $571K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $608K 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 1,601 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Caledonia Township | Caledonia Branch Library fine-free | — | 21 | A |
| Alcona Township | None of its own | — | — | — graded with its twin city |
| Mitchell Township | None of its own | — | — | — under 1,000 residents |
| Ossineke Township | None of its own | — | — | A− |
| Lost Lake Woods | None of its own | — | — | — under 1,000 residents |
| Sanborn Township | None of its own | — | — | A− |
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.
- System-wide. Caledonia Branch Library is one branch of Alcona County Library, so the yearly numbers cover every branch and all 10,167 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 Caledonia Township
Does Caledonia Township have a public library?
Yes: Caledonia Branch Library, 1499 Hubert Road, is a branch of Alcona County Library, which serves 10,167 people. The branch is open about 21 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Alcona County 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 Caledonia Township’s library?
It logged 3.3 visits and lent 3.4 print items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3.1 visits for libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000 people.
What is Caledonia Township’s civic life grade?
A Caledonia Township is ahead of 95% of U.S. towns on civic life. 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 Caledonia 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.