Photo: w_lemay · CC BY-SA 2.0University Heights’ library is a branch of Cleveland Heights-University Heights Pl, which lends more per resident than 99% of systems its size
University Heights’s library is the University Heights Branch Library, a branch of Cleveland Heights-University Heights Pl, which serves 57,712 people and lent 1.7M items last year.
The short version on University Heights’s library
One of the busiest library systems its size
The Cleveland Heights-University Heights Pl system logs 8.8 visits per resident, against a typical 2.6 for libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people, and lends 21 print items per resident against a typical 3.7. On both counts it beats 98% of similar-size libraries across the U.S. How it compares ↓
Four times the programs of a typical library its size
The Cleveland Heights-University Heights Pl system ran 3,272 programs last year, about 63 a week. That’s 57 per 1,000 residents, against a typical 14. People show up: 49,000 attended. Kids & programs ↓
Big on e-books and audiobooks
Digital borrowing runs 8.4 e-items per resident, against a typical 1.2, higher than at 99% of similar-size libraries. It’s 29% of all loans. What people borrow ↓
Kids’ borrowing is a standout
Children’s books and media are 36% of print loans, and kids’ borrowing per resident is higher than at 97% of similar-size libraries. Kids & programs ↓
A well-funded system
The Cleveland Heights-University Heights Pl system spends $196 per resident a year, about five times the typical $40 for a library its size. What your card is worth ↓
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; University Heights’s library is a branch of Cleveland Heights-University Heights Pl, so they cover the whole system (57,712 people), not just the University Heights branch.
What’s behind University Heights’ civic life grade
On community nonprofits and volunteering, University Heights is ahead of 81% of U.S. towns, #201 of 914 in Ohio. University Heights is graded on two of the three inputs. Both inputs are above most U.S. towns; University Heights’ 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 →
76 community nonprofits are registered in University Heights
5.7 per 1,000 residents, against a U.S. town median of 3.7. The largest group: human services.
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 (31 here), since whether a church registers depends on its denomination, not the town. 4 more name a national or statewide reach and are left out.
8.5%
8.5% of University Heights’ Facebook users aged 25–44 belong to a volunteering or activism group, against 8.5% in the typical Ohio 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 University Heights’ residents live; 2022.
About 24 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.
Ahead of most similar-size libraries on all 8 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people across the U.S.
Cleveland Heights-University Heights Pl serves 57,712 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000.
Every hour the doors are open, about 148 items go out
Fiscal year 2024, for the whole Cleveland Heights-University Heights Pl system. The library’s own count.
Mostly books and media off the shelf
1.7M loans last year: print, kids’ and digital.
483,539 e-books, e-audiobooks and streams last year. Borrow from home with your card, plus research databases: courses, journals, genealogy and more.
Find it
University Heights Branch Library, 13866 Cedar Rd., University Heights.
No late fees. E-books and audiobooks from home. Loans renew on their own if no one’s waiting. Research databases: courses, journals, genealogy. Good at every Cleveland Heights-University Heights Pl branch.
New in University Heights? The Handbook →Hours are the survey’s yearly average. Check the library’s own site for today’s hours.
For every $1 it spends, the library lends about $2.33 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average University Heights cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $40. Operating budget $11M.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $26M 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 43,887 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| University Heights | University Heights Branch Library fine-free | — | 54 | A− |
| Cleveland Heights | Cleveland Heights-University Heights Pl fine-free | — | 69 | B− |
| Beachwood | Beachwood Branch Library fine-free | — | 67 | B+ |
| Shaker Heights | Shaker Heights Public Library fine-free | — | 69 | B+ |
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.
- System-wide. University Heights Branch Library is one branch of Cleveland Heights-University Heights Pl, so the yearly numbers cover every branch and all 57,712 people it serves.
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 University Heights
Does University Heights have a public library?
Yes: University Heights Branch Library, 13866 Cedar Rd., is a branch of Cleveland Heights-University Heights Pl, which serves 57,712 people. The branch is open about 54 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Cleveland Heights-University Heights Pl fine-free? Does it lend e-books?
Yes to both: no late fees, and e-books, audiobooks and research databases with a card (the library’s 2024 survey report).
How busy is University Heights’ library?
It logged 8.8 visits and lent 29.0 items per resident in 2024, against a typical 2.6 visits for libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people.
What is University Heights’ civic life grade?
A− University Heights is ahead of 81% of U.S. towns on civic life, #201 of 914 in Ohio. 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 University Heights.
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.