Photo: RRGreenough · CC BY-SA 4.0Tomah’s library runs 19 programs per 1,000 residents, against a typical 24 for libraries its size
Tomah Public Library serves Tomah’s 17,846 residents. Last year it lent 57K print books and media and drew 8,866 people to its programs.
The short version on Tomah’s library
Programs are almost all for children
84% of the 337 programs last year were for ages 11 and under, including about 2.8 a week for ages 0–5. Kids & programs ↓
The library is a National Register landmark
Tomah Public Library has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1976. Today’s library there has 10,179 square feet. The building ↓
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 Tomah’s civic life grade
On community nonprofits and volunteering, Tomah is ahead of 80% of U.S. towns, #97 of 358 in Wisconsin. Its library’s 2024 visits weren’t reported, so Tomah is graded on two of the three inputs. Both inputs are above most U.S. towns; Tomah’s count of community nonprofits ranks highest.
The survey’s stand-in for Tomah’s 2024 visits is its own estimate, so it is left out.
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 →
71 community nonprofits are registered in Tomah
7.5 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 (11 here), since whether a church registers depends on its denomination, not the town. 2 more name a national or statewide reach and are left out.
7.7%
7.7% of Tomah’s Facebook users aged 25–44 belong to a volunteering or activism group, against 8.6% in the typical Wisconsin 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 Tomah’s residents live; 2022.
Ahead of most similar-size libraries on 3 of 6 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000 people across the U.S.
Tomah Public Library serves 17,846 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000.
Every hour the doors are open, about 19 items go out
Fiscal year 2024. The library’s own count.
Not reported for 2024: visits. The survey fills a missing figure with its own estimate; we leave estimates out rather than show them as the library’s count.
More than half the print loans are kids’ books
57K print loans last year. The library didn’t report its e-book and e-audiobook loans.
Each of the 51K books and other items on the shelves went out about 1.1 time last year, on average.
Borrow from home with your card, plus research databases: courses, journals, genealogy and more.
About 5 kids’ programs a week
Story times, clubs, classes and events, by who they’re for.
Programs last year by age group
story times and programs a week for ages 0–5, on average.
children’s books and media borrowed per child under 18 in Tomah last year.
A National Register landmark since 1976
Tomah Public Library, 716 Superior Ave., Tomah.
E-books and audiobooks from home. Research databases: courses, journals, genealogy.
New in Tomah? The Handbook →Hours are the survey’s yearly average. Check the library’s own site for today’s hours.
Tomah Public Library
Tomah Public Library was added to the National Register of Historic Places on May 28, 1976. It is significant for its architecture at the state level. Its architecture is described as Prairie Style.
The Tomah Public Library is located in Tomah, Wisconsin. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.
More about the building →For every $1 it spends, the library lends about $1.73 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Tomah cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $43. Operating budget $516K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $892K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $516K 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 12,321 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tomah | Tomah Public Library | 3.2 | 57 | A− |
| La Grange | None of its own | — | — | C− |
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.
- Not reported for 2024: visits. Tomah Public Library didn’t report visits; the survey’s estimate is its own, so we leave it out and never rank it.
- 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 Tomah
Does Tomah have a public library?
Yes. Tomah Public Library, 716 Superior Ave., serves Tomah’s 17,846 residents (the survey’s count) and is open about 57 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Tomah 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 Tomah’s library?
It lent 3.2 items per resident in 2024 (print) and ran 337 programs that drew 8,866 people. Visits weren’t reported for 2024.
What is Tomah’s civic life grade?
A− Tomah is ahead of 80% of U.S. towns on civic life, #97 of 358 in Wisconsin. 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 Tomah.
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. Building history: National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. “What your card is worth” uses typical retail prices and is an estimate, not an official figure.