Photo: Stevedrone91 · CC BY-SA 4.0Oregon’s library runs 54 programs per 1,000 residents, against a typical 34 for libraries its size
Oregon Public Library District serves 6,108 people in and around Oregon. Last year it lent 28K print books and media and logged 26K visits.
Oregon’s library, in brief
The branch is a National Register landmark
Oregon Public Library has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 2003. Today’s library there has 5,500 square feet. The building ↓
Programs lean toward adults
62% of the 329 programs last year were for adults: classes, talks, clubs and events. 78 were for children. 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; Oregon Public Library District serves 6,108 people in and around Oregon, and its numbers cover all of them.
What’s behind Oregon’s civic life grade
On community nonprofits and volunteering, Oregon is ahead of 98% of U.S. towns, #6 of 754 in Illinois. Oregon is graded on two of the three inputs. Both inputs are above most U.S. towns; Oregon’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 →
39 community nonprofits are registered in Oregon
10.1 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.
11.8%
11.8% of Oregon’s Facebook users aged 25–44 belong to a volunteering or activism group, against 8.1% in the typical Illinois 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 Oregon’s residents live; 2022.
A National Register landmark since 2003
Oregon Public Library District, 300 Jefferson Street, Oregon.
No late fees. Good at every Oregon Public Library District branch.
New in Oregon? The Handbook →Hours are the survey’s yearly average. Check the library’s own site for today’s hours.
Oregon Public Library
Oregon Public Library was added to the National Register of Historic Places on May 9, 2003. It is significant for its education and architecture at the local level. Its architecture is described as Arts and Crafts. It was listed as part of Illinois Carnegie Libraries MPS.
The Oregon Public Library is located in Oregon, Illinois, United States, the county seat of Ogle County. The building is a public library that was constructed in 1909. Prior to 1909, Oregon's library was housed in different buildings, none of which were designed to house a library. The library was built using a grant from wealthy philanthropist Andrew Carnegie.
More about the building →Ahead of most similar-size libraries on 5 of 6 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people across the U.S.
Oregon Public Library District serves 6,108 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000.
Every hour the doors are open, about 12 items go out
Fiscal year 2024, for the whole Oregon Public Library District system. The library’s own count.
Books and media off the shelf
28K 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 Oregon’s library in 2024, so there’s no split between adults’ and kids’ borrowing.
About 2 kids’ programs a week
Story times, clubs, classes and events, across the whole system, by who they’re for.
Programs last year by age group
story times and programs a week for ages 0–5, on average.
For every $1 it spends, the library lends about $1.51 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Oregon cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $43. Operating budget $350K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $527K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $350K 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 1,376 cardholders ÷ 12.
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.
- System-wide. Oregon Public Library District serves 6,108 people in and around Oregon, so the yearly numbers cover all of them, not just Oregon.
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 Oregon
Does Oregon have a public library?
Yes. Oregon Public Library District, 300 Jefferson Street, serves 6,108 people in and around Oregon (the survey’s count) and is open about 47 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Oregon Public Library District fine-free?
Yes, no late fees (the library’s 2024 survey report).
How busy is Oregon’s library?
It logged 4.2 visits and lent 4.6 print items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3 visits for libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people.
What is Oregon’s civic life grade?
A+ Oregon is ahead of 98% of U.S. towns on civic life, #6 of 754 in Illinois. 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 Oregon.
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.