Photo: Nyttend · Public domainBell Township has no public library of its own; the nearest is Apollo Memorial Library in Apollo, 5.9 miles away
Bell Township doesn’t have a public library of its own. The closest is Apollo Memorial Library in Apollo, 5.9 miles away. Many small-town libraries give cards to neighbors, sometimes for a yearly fee, so call ahead.
BCivic lifeAhead of 62% of U.S. towns. Nonprofits and volunteering.Libraries for Bell Township, in brief
Bell Township borrows from the libraries next door
Bell Township has no public library of its own, but four libraries are within 10 miles, the closest being Apollo Memorial Library in Apollo (5.9 miles). Many small-town libraries give cards to people from neighboring towns, sometimes for a yearly fee, so call ahead. Nearest libraries ↓
Bell Township isn’t the only town nearby without one
Washington Township, Kiskiminetas Township and Loyalhanna Township don’t have a public library of their own either. Libraries next door ↓
The closest isn’t the one open longest
Apollo Memorial Library is nearest, open about 38 hours a week. Murrysville Community Library, 9.3 miles away, is open about 49 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 Bell Township’s civic life grade
On community nonprofits and volunteering, Bell Township is ahead of 62% of U.S. towns. Bell Township is graded on two of the three inputs. Bell 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 →
10 community nonprofits are registered in Bell Township
4.8 per 1,000 residents, against a U.S. town median of 3.7. The largest group: youth, sports & recreation.
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.
7.4%
7.4% of Bell Township’s Facebook users aged 25–44 belong to a volunteering or activism group, against 7.0% in the typical Pennsylvania 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 Bell Township’s residents live; 2022.
The closest is 5.9 miles away
Closest first, measured from the center of Bell 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington Township | None of its own | — | — | C |
| Kiskiminetas Township | None of its own | — | — | C+ |
| Loyalhanna Township | None of its own | — | — | A− |
| Salem Township | None of its own | — | — | B− |
| Avonmore | None of its own | — | — | — graded with its twin city |
| Oklahoma | None of its own | — | — | — under 1,000 residents |
| Conemaugh Township | None of its own | — | — | B+ |
| Orchard Hills | None of its own | — | — | — graded as part of its town |
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 Bell Township
Does Bell Township have a public library?
No. The closest is Apollo Memorial Library in Apollo, 5.9 miles from the town center. Many libraries give cards to people from neighboring towns, sometimes for a yearly fee, so call ahead.
What is Bell Township’s civic life grade?
B Bell Township is ahead of 62% 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 Bell 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.