Photo: Dennisyerger84 · CC BY-SA 4.0Oak Park Township’s library lends 19 print items per resident, against a typical 3.7 for libraries its size
Oak Park Public Library serves 54,583 people in and around Oak Park Township from 3 locations. Last year it lent 1M print books and media and logged 371K visits.
Oak Park Township’s library, in brief
Oak Park Township uses its library more than almost any town its size
Oak Park Public Library logs 6.8 visits per resident, against a typical 2.6 for libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people, and lends 19 print items per resident against a typical 3.7. On both counts it beats 95% of similar-size libraries across the U.S. How it compares ↓
Oak Park Township invests in its library
Oak Park Public Library spends $203 per resident a year, about five times the typical $40 for a library its size. Almost all of it (92%) comes from local taxes. What your card is worth ↓
Open about 68 hours a week
The main library is open about 68 hours a week, averaged over the year. Every hour the doors are open, about 117 items go out. The buildings ↓
The shelves work hard
Each of the 244,000 items on the shelves went out about 4.3 times last year, on average. What people borrow ↓
Nearly everyone in Oak Park Township has a card
48,117 cards for 54,583 people, or 88%. At the typical library serving 25,000 to 100,000 people, it’s 39%. How it compares ↓
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 Oak Park Township’s civic life grade
Oak Park Township 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 →
Books and media off the shelf
1M print loans last year. The library didn’t report its e-book and e-audiobook loans.
The survey has no count of children’s loans for Oak Park Township’s library in 2024, so there’s no split between adults’ and kids’ borrowing.
Each of the 244K books and other items on the shelves went out about 4.3 times last year, on average.
Ahead of most similar-size libraries on all 6 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people across the U.S.
Oak Park Public Library serves 54,583 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000.
Every hour the doors are open, about 117 items go out
Fiscal year 2024. The library’s own count.
About 17 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.
3 places to borrow in Oak Park Township
Oak Park Public Library, 834 Lake Street, Oak Park.
Hours are the survey’s yearly average. Check the library’s own site for today’s hours.
Other libraries in Oak Park Township
For every $1 it spends, the library lends about $1.69 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Oak Park Township cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $40. Operating budget $11M.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $19M worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $11M 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 48,117 cardholders ÷ 12.
Libraries next door
Oak Park Township borrows the most per resident of the 3 towns here. Tap a town to see its library.
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. Illinois libraries often don’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 Oak Park Township
Does Oak Park Township have a public library?
Yes. Oak Park Public Library, 834 Lake Street, serves 54,583 people in and around Oak Park Township (the survey’s count) and is open about 68 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Oak Park Public Library fine-free?
Yes, no late fees (the library’s 2024 survey report).
How busy is Oak Park Township’s library?
It logged 6.8 visits and lent 19.1 print items per resident in 2024, against a typical 2.6 visits for libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people.
What is Oak Park Township’s civic life grade?
Oak Park Township 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 Oak Park 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.