Fork Township’s library runs 1 programs per 1,000 residents, against a typical 34 for libraries its size
Barryton Public Library serves Fork Township’s 4,093 residents from 2 locations. Last year it lent 9,681 print books and media and logged 7,416 visits.
The short version on Fork Township’s library
Few programs for a library this size
Barryton Public Library offered 4 programs last year, 1 per 1,000 residents against a typical 34. Kids & programs ↓
A big collection for the borrowing it gets
Barryton Public Library holds 28,000 books and other items, but the average item went out less than once last year. 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 Fork Township’s civic life grade
On community nonprofits and volunteering, Fork Township is ahead of 70% of U.S. towns. Fork Township is graded on two of the three inputs. The share of younger adults in volunteering groups holds the grade up; Fork 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 →
4 community nonprofits are registered in Fork Township
2.7 per 1,000 residents, against a U.S. town median of 3.7. The largest group: human services.
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 (2 here), since whether a church registers depends on its denomination, not the town.
18.6%
18.6% of Fork 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 Fork Township’s residents live; 2022.
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.
Barryton Public Library serves 4,093 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.
Books and media off the shelf
9,681 print loans last year. The library didn’t report its e-book and e-audiobook loans.
Each of the 28K books and other items on the shelves went out about 0.3 time last year, on average.
Borrow from home with your card, plus research databases: courses, journals, genealogy and more.
4 programs a year
Story times, clubs, classes and events, by who they’re for.
Programs last year by age group
children’s books and media borrowed per child under 18 in Fork Township last year.
2 places to borrow in Fork Township
Barryton Public Library, 198 Northern Avenue, Barryton.
E-books and audiobooks from home. Research databases: courses, journals, genealogy.
New in Fork Township? The Handbook →Hours are the survey’s yearly average. Check the library’s own site for today’s hours.
Other libraries in Fork Township
For every $1 it spends, the library lends about $1.02 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Fork Township cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $43. Operating budget $157K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $161K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $157K 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 2,002 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fork Township | Barryton Public Library | 2.4 | 39 | B+ |
| Chippewa Township | Chippewa Branch Library | 2.4 | 23 | B |
| Coldwater Township | None of its own | — | — | — under 1,000 residents |
| Sheridan Township | None of its own | — | — | A |
| Orient 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.
- 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 Fork Township
Does Fork Township have a public library?
Yes. Barryton Public Library, 198 Northern Avenue, serves Fork Township’s 4,093 residents (the survey’s count) and is open about 39 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Barryton Public 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 Fork Township’s library?
It logged 1.8 visits and lent 2.4 print items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3 visits for libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people.
What is Fork Township’s civic life grade?
B+ Fork Township is ahead of 70% 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 Fork 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.