Oakdale’s library runs 203 programs per 1,000 residents, against a typical 60 for libraries its size
Lois Johnson Memorial Library serves Oakdale’s 271 residents. Last year it lent 273 books, movies and e-books and logged 470 visits.
The short version on Oakdale’s library
Mostly paid for by gifts, not taxes
58% of the library’s income comes from gifts, endowments, fees and other sources, not taxes. Local taxes cover 38%. What your card is worth ↓
Lois Johnson Memorial Library is used less than most libraries its size
Lois Johnson Memorial Library records 1.7 visits per resident, against a typical 3.5 for libraries serving under 2,500 people. Borrowing is 1 print items per resident, against a typical 3.9. How it compares ↓
Open only about 17 hours a week
Lois Johnson Memorial Library keeps short hours: about 17 a week, averaged over the year, so check its schedule before you go. The building ↓
A small-town library
Lois Johnson Memorial Library serves 271 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 ↓
Few residents carry a card
Only 9% of the people Lois Johnson Memorial Library serves have a library card, against a typical 54% for its size. 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; in a town this small, one busy program or a few avid readers move the per-resident numbers.
What’s behind Oakdale’s civic life grade
Oakdale 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 →
55 programs a year
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 1 of 8 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving under 2,500 people across the U.S.
Lois Johnson Memorial Library serves 271 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving under 2,500.
A year at Lois Johnson Memorial Library
Fiscal year 2024. The library’s own count.
Mostly books and media off the shelf
273 loans last year: print, kids’ and digital.
Each of the 7,086 books and other items on the shelves went out about 0 time last year, on average.
Find it
Lois Johnson Memorial Library, 406 5th Street, Oakdale.
No late fees. Loans renew on their own if no one’s waiting. Research databases: courses, journals, genealogy.
New in Oakdale? The Handbook →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 Oakdale cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $54. Operating budget $14K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $5,031 worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $14K 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 25 cardholders ÷ 12.
What this data can and can’t tell you
From the Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024.
- The library’s own count. Libraries report their own visits, loans and programs. A library that didn’t respond keeps its address and hours here, with no numbers.
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 Oakdale
Does Oakdale have a public library?
Yes. Lois Johnson Memorial Library, 406 5th Street, serves Oakdale’s 271 residents (the survey’s count) and is open about 17 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Lois Johnson Memorial Library fine-free?
Yes, no late fees (the library’s 2024 survey report).
How busy is Oakdale’s library?
It logged 1.7 visits and lent 1.0 items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3.5 visits for libraries serving under 2,500 people.
What is Oakdale’s civic life grade?
Oakdale 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 Oakdale.
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.