Photo: Kafka Liz · Public domainGarden Grove’s library runs 840 programs per 1,000 residents, against a typical 60 for libraries its size
Garden Grove Public Library serves Garden Grove’s 188 residents. Last year it lent 302 print books and media and logged 456 visits.
Garden Grove’s library, in brief
14 times the programs of a typical library its size
Garden Grove Public Library ran 158 programs last year, about 3 a week. That’s 840 per 1,000 residents, against a typical 60. Kids & programs ↓
Open only about 12 hours a week
Garden Grove Public Library keeps short hours: about 12 a week, averaged over the year, so check its schedule before you go. The building ↓
A small-town library
Garden Grove Public Library serves 188 residents with about one full-time staff. It’s compared only with libraries serving under 2,500 people, because per-person numbers always look big in a small town. A year at the library ↓
Most programs are for young children
66% of the 158 programs last year were for ages 11 and under, including about 1 a week for ages 0–5. Kids & programs ↓
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; in a town this small, one busy program or a few avid readers move the per-resident numbers.
What’s behind Garden Grove’s civic life grade
Garden Grove isn’t graded on civic life: TownRatings grades towns of 1,000 residents or more.
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 →
About 2 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.
Ahead of most similar-size libraries on 2 of 6 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving under 2,500 people across the U.S.
Garden Grove Public Library serves 188 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving under 2,500.
A year at Garden Grove Public Library
Fiscal year 2024. The library’s own count.
Not reported for 2024: spending. The survey fills a missing figure with its own estimate; we leave estimates out rather than show them as the library’s count.
Books and media off the shelf
302 print loans last year. The library didn’t report its e-book and e-audiobook loans.
Each of the 5,900 books and other items on the shelves went out about 0.1 time last year, on average.
Find it
Garden Grove Public Library, 103 W Main St., Garden Grove.
Hours are the survey’s yearly average. Check the library’s own site for today’s hours.
What a library card is worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Garden Grove cardholder borrows.
Fine-free. No late fees on books returned late.
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 86 cardholders ÷ 12.
What this data can and can’t tell you
From the Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024.
- Not reported for 2024: spending. The survey filled the figure with its own estimate, so it is left out.
- 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 Garden Grove
Does Garden Grove have a public library?
Yes. Garden Grove Public Library, 103 W Main St., serves Garden Grove’s 188 residents (the survey’s count) and is open about 12 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Garden Grove Public Library fine-free?
Yes, no late fees (the library’s 2024 survey report).
How busy is Garden Grove’s library?
It logged 2.4 visits and lent 1.6 print items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3.5 visits for libraries serving under 2,500 people.
What is Garden Grove’s civic life grade?
Garden Grove isn’t graded on civic life: TownRatings grades towns of 1,000 residents or more. How it works.
Book talk
Reading, story times and the library in Garden Grove.
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.