Photo: Nicholas A. Tonelli on Flickr · CC BY 2.0Independence Township has no public library of its own; the nearest is Hackettstown Free Public Library in Hackettstown, 3.2 miles away
Independence Township doesn’t have a public library of its own. The closest is Hackettstown Free Public Library in Hackettstown, 3.2 miles away. Many small-town libraries give cards to neighbors, sometimes for a yearly fee, so call ahead.
C+Civic lifeAhead of 43% of U.S. towns · #239 of 466 in New Jersey. Nonprofits and volunteering.Getting a library card from Independence Township
Independence Township borrows from the libraries next door
Independence Township has no public library of its own, but four libraries are within 10 miles, the closest being Hackettstown Free Public Library in Hackettstown (3.2 miles). Many small-town libraries give cards to people from neighboring towns, sometimes for a yearly fee, so call ahead. Nearest libraries ↓
Independence Township isn’t the only town nearby without one
Allamuchy Township, Panther Valley and Mansfield Township don’t have a public library of their own either. Among the towns next door, Hackettstown (Hackettstown Free Public Library) does. Libraries next door ↓
This summary is written from the numbers on this page. Distances are straight-line from the town center.
What’s behind Independence Township’s civic life grade
On community nonprofits and volunteering, Independence Township is ahead of 43% of U.S. towns, #239 of 466 in New Jersey. Independence Township is graded on two of the three inputs. The share of younger adults in volunteering groups holds the grade up; Independence Township’s count of community nonprofits pulls it down.
Most U.S. towns with similar household incomes ($69K–$115K) score higher, so income alone doesn’t account for it.
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 →
18 community nonprofits are registered in Independence Township
3.2 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 (3 here), since whether a church registers depends on its denomination, not the town. 1 more name a national or statewide reach and are left out.
7.8%
7.8% of Independence Township’s Facebook users aged 25–44 belong to a volunteering or activism group, against 7.2% in the typical New Jersey 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 Independence Township’s residents live; 2022.
The closest is 3.2 miles away
Closest first, measured from the center of Independence 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hackettstown | Hackettstown Free Public Library | 4.3 | 55 | C |
| Allamuchy Township | None of its own | — | — | B |
| Panther Valley | None of its own | — | — | — graded as part of its town |
| Mansfield Township | None of its own | — | — | B |
| Liberty Township | None of its own | — | — | B+ |
| Frelinghuysen 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.
- 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 Independence Township
Does Independence Township have a public library?
No. The closest is Hackettstown Free Public Library in Hackettstown, 3.2 miles from the town center. Many libraries give cards to people from neighboring towns, sometimes for a yearly fee, so call ahead.
What is Independence Township’s civic life grade?
C+ Independence Township is ahead of 43% of U.S. towns on civic life, #239 of 466 in New Jersey. 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 Independence 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.