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Oxford Iowa 20090412 ViewPhoto: Ashton B Crew · CC BY 3.0
Oxford Public Library

Oxford’s library runs 256 programs per 1,000 residents, against a typical 60 for libraries its size

Oxford Public Library serves Oxford’s 737 residents. Last year it lent 2,389 print books and media and logged 3,801 visits.

112 N Augusta Ave, Oxford 52322 · about 19 hours a week
–Civic lifeNot graded: fewer than 1,000 residents
Borrowed a year
2,389
3.2 per resident
Visits a year
3,801
5.2 per resident · Above typical (3.5)
Programs & events
189
about 4 a week · 1,518 attended
Cardholders
59%
438 cards
Open
19 hrs
a week
In brief

Oxford’s library, in brief

Four times the programs of a typical library its size

Oxford Public Library ran 189 programs last year, about 4 a week. That’s 256 per 1,000 residents, against a typical 60. People show up: 1,518 attended. Kids & programs ↓

A small-town library

Oxford Public Library serves 737 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 ↓

Open only about 19 hours a week

Oxford Public Library keeps short hours: about 19 a week, averaged over the year, so check its schedule before you go. 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; in a town this small, one busy program or a few avid readers move the per-resident numbers.

Civic life grade

What’s behind Oxford’s civic life grade

Oxford isn’t graded on civic life: TownRatings grades towns of 1,000 residents or more.

–
Civic lifeA character grade: shown, never part of Oxford’s overall grade.

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 →

★ What stands out · Kids & programs

About 2 kids’ programs a week

Story times, clubs, classes and events, by who they’re for.

Schools in Oxford →

Programs last year by age group

Ages 0–548
Ages 6–1170
Teens1
Adults34
All ages36
Little ones
0.9

story times and programs a week for ages 0–5, on average.

Kids’ books
5

children’s books and media borrowed per child under 18 in Oxford last year.

1,518
people at programs
189
programs
How it compares

Ahead of most similar-size libraries on 5 of 7 measures

Per resident, against libraries serving under 2,500 people across the U.S.

Visits per resident 5.2 visits · typical 3.5Higher than 68%
Borrowing per resident 3.2 print items · typical 3.9Lower than 58%
Kids’ borrowing 1.2 kids’ items · typical 1.4Lower than 53%
Program attendance 2.1 attendees · typical 0.7Higher than 85%
Programs offered 256.4 per 1,000 residents · typical 60Top 10%
Cardholders 59% of residents · typical 54%Higher than 55%
Spending $58 per resident · typical $54Higher than 55%
Fewer per residentMore per resident
Size group

Oxford Public Library serves 737 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving under 2,500.

A year at the library

Every hour the doors are open, about 3 items go out

Fiscal year 2024. The library’s own count.

3,801
visits
5.2 per resident
2,389
loans, print + digital
3.2 per resident
189
programs & events
1,518 attended
438
library cards
59% of people served
Every open hour3items borrowed
Every week29people at a program
Every day2Wi-Fi sessions
1 staff (full-time equivalent)4 public computers4,703 books & media on the shelves
What people borrow

Books and media off the shelf

2,389 print loans last year. The library didn’t report its e-book and e-audiobook loans.

2,389loans
Books & media (adults) 62%Kids’ books & media 38%
How hard the shelves work
0.5×

Each of the 4,703 books and other items on the shelves went out about 0.5 time last year, on average.

The building

Find it

Oxford Public Library, 112 N Augusta Ave, Oxford.

19
hours open a week
1,100
square feet
4,703
books & media
With a card

No late fees.

New in Oxford? The Handbook →

Hours are the survey’s yearly average. Check the library’s own site for today’s hours.

What your card is worth

For every $1 it spends, the library lends about $1.24 worth

Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Oxford cardholder borrows.

In a month I’d use…
Books$17 each
1
Kids’ books$12 each
0
E-books & audio$15 each
0
Movies & music$4 each
0
Programs & classes$10 a program
0
Computer & Wi-Fi$3 a session
0
Your card saves you about
$204
a year at retail prices · $17 a month

Who pays for it
$58 per resident a year

Typical for a library this size: $54. Operating budget $43K.

Local taxes 90%State 3%Gifts & other 7%

Last year the library lent and hosted about $53K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $43K budget.

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 438 cardholders ÷ 12.

How to read these numbers

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 Oxford

Does Oxford have a public library?

Yes. Oxford Public Library, 112 N Augusta Ave, serves Oxford’s 737 residents (the survey’s count) and is open about 19 hours a week, averaged over the year.

Is Oxford Public Library fine-free?

Yes, no late fees (the library’s 2024 survey report).

How busy is Oxford’s library?

It logged 5.2 visits and lent 3.2 print items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3.5 visits for libraries serving under 2,500 people.

What is Oxford’s civic life grade?

Oxford 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 Oxford.

Town Square →
Start a conversation

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.