Photo: Bobak Ha'Eri · CC BY 3.0Eugene’s library lends 13 print items per resident, against a typical 3.2 for libraries its size
Eugene Public Library serves Eugene’s 177,339 residents from 3 locations. Last year it lent 2.3M print books and media and logged 835K visits.
Eugene’s library, in brief
Eugene’s kids borrow the most in Oregon
Out of 36 Oregon towns with a library of their own, Eugene comes first for children’s items borrowed per child. How it compares ↓
Eugene uses its library more than almost any town its size
Eugene Public Library logs 4.7 visits per resident, against a typical 2.1 for libraries serving 100,000+ people, and lends 13 print items per resident against a typical 3.2. On both counts it beats 96% of similar-size libraries across the U.S. How it compares ↓
Kids borrow more here than almost anywhere
Children’s books and media are 48% of print loans, and kids’ borrowing per resident is higher than at 97% of similar-size libraries. That works out to about 38 items per child in Eugene last year. Kids & programs ↓
The shelves work hard
Each of the 436,000 items on the shelves went out about 5.2 times last year, on average. What people borrow ↓
Three places to borrow in Eugene
Eugene Public Library runs three locations, and one card works at all of them. The buildings ↓
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 Eugene’s civic life grade
On library visits, community nonprofits and volunteering, Eugene is ahead of 86% of U.S. towns, #31 of 106 in Oregon. Among the 385 U.S. cities over 100,000 we grade, it ranks #13. All three inputs are above most U.S. towns; the share of younger adults in volunteering groups 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 →
877 community nonprofits are registered in Eugene
4.9 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 (164 here), since whether a church registers depends on its denomination, not the town. 49 more name a national or statewide reach and are left out.
12.0%
12.0% of Eugene’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 Eugene’s residents live; 2022.
Ahead of most similar-size libraries on 5 of 7 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 100,000+ people across the U.S.
Eugene Public Library serves 177,339 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 100,000+.
Every hour the doors are open, about 280 items go out
Fiscal year 2024. The library’s own count.
Almost half the print loans are kids’ books
2.3M print loans last year. The library didn’t report its e-book and e-audiobook loans.
Each of the 436K books and other items on the shelves went out about 5.2 times last year, on average.
About 13 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.
children’s books and media borrowed per child under 18 in Eugene last year.
3 places to borrow in Eugene
Eugene Public Library, 100 W 10th Ave, Eugene.
No late fees. Loans renew on their own if no one’s waiting. Research databases: courses, journals, genealogy.
New in Eugene? The Handbook →Hours are the survey’s yearly average. Check the library’s own site for today’s hours.
Other libraries in Eugene
For every $1 it spends, the library lends about $2.38 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Eugene cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $36. Operating budget $14M.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $33M worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $14M 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 121,081 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eugene | Eugene Public Library fine-free | 12.8 | 62 | A |
| Springfield | Springfield Public Library fine-free | 4.6 | 43 | C |
| Santa Clara | None of its own | — | — | — unincorporated |
| River Road | None of its own | — | — | — unincorporated |
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. 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 Eugene
Does Eugene have a public library?
Yes. Eugene Public Library, 100 W 10th Ave, serves Eugene’s 177,339 residents (the survey’s count) and is open about 62 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Eugene Public Library fine-free?
Yes, no late fees (the library’s 2024 survey report).
How busy is Eugene’s library?
It logged 4.7 visits and lent 12.8 print items per resident in 2024, against a typical 2.1 visits for libraries serving 100,000+ people.
What is Eugene’s civic life grade?
A Eugene is ahead of 86% of U.S. towns on civic life, #31 of 106 in Oregon. 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 Eugene.
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.