Photo: Zeete · CC BY-SA 4.0Lafayette Township has no public library of its own; the nearest is Franklin Branch in Franklin, 4.4 miles away
Lafayette Township doesn’t have a public library of its own. The closest is Franklin Branch in Franklin, 4.4 miles away. Many small-town libraries give cards to neighbors, sometimes for a yearly fee, so call ahead.
C+Civic lifeAhead of 45% of U.S. towns. Nonprofits and volunteering.Libraries for Lafayette Township, in brief
Lafayette Township borrows from the libraries next door
Lafayette Township has no public library of its own, but four libraries are within 10 miles, the closest being Franklin Branch in Franklin (4.4 miles). Many small-town libraries give cards to people from neighboring towns, sometimes for a yearly fee, so call ahead. Nearest libraries ↓
Lafayette Township isn’t the only town nearby without one
Hampton Township, Hardyston Township and Andover Township don’t have a public library of their own either. Among the towns next door, Sparta Township (Sparta Public Library) and Frankford Township (Sussex County Library System) do. Libraries next door ↓
The closest isn’t the one open longest
Franklin Branch is nearest, open about 54 hours a week. Sussex County Library System, 4.4 miles away, is open about 69 hours a week, so it may be easier to fit in. Nearest libraries ↓
Most nearby libraries are fine-free
Three of the four closest libraries don’t charge late fines. Nearest libraries ↓
This summary is written from the numbers on this page. Distances are straight-line from the town center.
What’s behind Lafayette Township’s civic life grade
On community nonprofits and volunteering, Lafayette Township is ahead of 45% of U.S. towns. Lafayette Township is graded on two of the three inputs. Lafayette Township’s count of community nonprofits holds the grade up; the share of younger adults in volunteering groups 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 →
9 community nonprofits are registered in Lafayette Township
3.8 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.
7.2%
7.2% of Lafayette 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 Lafayette Township’s residents live; 2022.
The closest is 4.4 miles away
Closest first, measured from the center of Lafayette 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sparta Township | Sparta Public Library | 11.1 | 62 | A |
| Frankford Township | Sussex County Library System fine-free | — | 69 | A |
| Hampton Township | None of its own | — | — | A− |
| Hardyston Township | None of its own | — | — | C |
| Andover Township | None of its own | — | — | B+ |
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 Lafayette Township
Does Lafayette Township have a public library?
No. The closest is Franklin Branch in Franklin, 4.4 miles from the town center. Many libraries give cards to people from neighboring towns, sometimes for a yearly fee, so call ahead.
What is Lafayette Township’s civic life grade?
C+ Lafayette Township is ahead of 45% 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 Lafayette 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.