Photo: Visitor7 · CC BY-SA 3.0Athena’s library logs 7.2 visits per resident, against a typical 3.5 for libraries its size
Athena Public Library serves Athena’s 1,504 residents. Last year it lent 6,436 print books and media and logged 11K visits.
What stands out about Athena’s library
Read from the library’s own yearly report. The page puts what stands out first.
What’s behind Athena’s civic life grade
On library visits, community nonprofits and volunteering, Athena is ahead of 92% of U.S. towns. All three inputs are above most U.S. towns; Athena’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 →
19 community nonprofits are registered in Athena
13.8 per 1,000 residents, against a U.S. town median of 3.7. The largest group: education.
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 (1 here), since whether a church registers depends on its denomination, not the town. 1 more name a national or statewide reach and are left out.
8.2%
8.2% of Athena’s Facebook users aged 25–44 belong to a volunteering or activism group, against 8.9% in the typical Oregon 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 Athena’s residents live; 2022.
Every hour the doors are open, about 4 items go out
Fiscal year 2024. The library’s own count.
Ahead of most similar-size libraries on 6 of 7 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving under 2,500 people across the U.S.
Athena Public Library serves 1,504 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving under 2,500.
Books and media off the shelf
6,436 print loans last year. The library didn’t report its e-book and e-audiobook loans.
Each of the 14K books and other items on the shelves went out about 0.5 time last year, on average.
About 1 kids’ program 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.
children’s books and media borrowed per child under 18 in Athena last year.
Find it
Athena Public Library, 418 E Main St., Athena.
No late fees. Loans renew on their own if no one’s waiting. Research databases: courses, journals, genealogy.
New in Athena? 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 Athena cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $54. Operating budget $111K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $109K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $111K 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 652 cardholders ÷ 12.
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 Athena
Does Athena have a public library?
Yes. Athena Public Library, 418 E Main St., serves Athena’s 1,504 residents (the survey’s count) and is open about 30 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Athena Public Library fine-free?
Yes, no late fees (the library’s 2024 survey report).
How busy is Athena’s library?
It logged 7.2 visits and lent 4.3 print items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3.5 visits for libraries serving under 2,500 people.
What is Athena’s civic life grade?
A Athena is ahead of 92% of U.S. towns on civic life. 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 Athena.
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.