Photo: H. Michael Miley from Schaumburg, USA · CC BY-SA 2.0Oskaloosa’s library lends 6.1 print items per resident, against a typical 3.9 for libraries its size
Oskaloosa Public Library serves Oskaloosa’s 19,469 residents. Last year it lent 119K print books and media and logged 48K visits.
Oskaloosa’s library, in brief
The library is a National Register landmark
Oskaloosa Public Library has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1991. Today’s library there has 25,000 square feet. The building ↓
Most programs are for young children
73% of the 338 programs last year were for ages 11 and under, including about 3 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.
What’s behind Oskaloosa’s civic life grade
On community nonprofits and volunteering, Oskaloosa is ahead of 87% of U.S. towns, #40 of 138 in Iowa. Oskaloosa is graded on two of the three inputs. Both inputs are above most U.S. towns; Oskaloosa’s count of community nonprofits ranks highest.
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 →
86 community nonprofits are registered in Oskaloosa
7.5 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 (19 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.
8.6%
8.6% of Oskaloosa’s Facebook users aged 25–44 belong to a volunteering or activism group, against 8.6% in the typical Iowa 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 Oskaloosa’s residents live; 2022.
A National Register landmark since 1991
Oskaloosa Public Library, 301 S Market, Oskaloosa.
Hours are the survey’s yearly average. Check the library’s own site for today’s hours.
Oskaloosa Public Library
Oskaloosa Public Library was added to the National Register of Historic Places on Dec 13, 1991. Its architecture is described as Neo-Classical Revival. It was listed as part of Public Library Buildings in Iowa TR;Oskaloosa MPS.
Oskaloosa Public Library is a facility located in Oskaloosa, Iowa, United States. Construction of the library was launched in 1902 with a grant from the Carnegie Corporation of New York. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1991.
More about the building →Ahead of most similar-size libraries on 2 of 7 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000 people across the U.S.
Oskaloosa Public Library serves 19,469 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000.
Every hour the doors are open, about 47 items go out
Fiscal year 2024. The library’s own count.
More than half the print loans are kids’ books
119K print loans last year. The library didn’t report its e-book and e-audiobook loans.
Each of the 67K books and other items on the shelves went out about 1.8 times last year, on average.
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 Oskaloosa last year.
For every $1 it spends, the library lends about $2.85 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Oskaloosa cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $43. Operating budget $619K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $1.8M worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $619K 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 6,939 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oskaloosa | Oskaloosa Public Library | 6.1 | 49 | A |
| University Park | None of its own | — | — | — under 1,000 residents |
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.
- 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 Oskaloosa
Does Oskaloosa have a public library?
Yes. Oskaloosa Public Library, 301 S Market, serves Oskaloosa’s 19,469 residents (the survey’s count) and is open about 49 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Oskaloosa Public Library fine-free?
It charges late fines on some overdue items (the library’s 2024 survey report).
How busy is Oskaloosa’s library?
It logged 2.5 visits and lent 6.1 print items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3.1 visits for libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000 people.
What is Oskaloosa’s civic life grade?
A Oskaloosa is ahead of 87% of U.S. towns on civic life, #40 of 138 in Iowa. 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 Oskaloosa.
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; photo via Wikimedia Commons. “What your card is worth” uses typical retail prices and is an estimate, not an official figure.