Gladstone’s library lends 5.7 print items per resident, against a typical 3.9 for libraries its size
Gladstone Public Library serves Gladstone’s 21,411 residents. Last year it lent 121K print books and media and logged 39K visits.
The short version on Gladstone’s library
Most programs are for young children
78% of the 187 programs last year were for ages 11 and under, including about 2.3 a week for ages 0–5. Kids & programs ↓
Few programs for a library this size
Gladstone Public Library offered 187 programs last year, 8.7 per 1,000 residents against a typical 24. 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.
What’s behind Gladstone’s civic life grade
On community nonprofits and volunteering, Gladstone is ahead of 66% of U.S. towns, #69 of 106 in Oregon. Gladstone is graded on two of the three inputs. Both 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 →
50 community nonprofits are registered in Gladstone
4.2 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 (15 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.
8.4%
8.4% of Gladstone’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 Gladstone’s residents live; 2022.
Ahead of most similar-size libraries on 3 of 7 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000 people across the U.S.
Gladstone Public Library serves 21,411 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000.
Every hour the doors are open, about 42 items go out
Fiscal year 2024. The library’s own count.
Books and media off the shelf
121K print loans last year. The library didn’t report its e-book and e-audiobook loans.
Each of the 32K books and other items on the shelves went out about 3.8 times last year, on average.
About 3 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 Gladstone last year.
Find it
Gladstone Public Library, 135 E Dartmouth St., Gladstone.
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 $1.25 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Gladstone cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $43. Operating budget $1.5M.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $1.9M worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $1.5M budget.
Late fines apply to some overdue items.
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 4,590 cardholders ÷ 12.
Libraries next door
Gladstone ranks 3rd of 3 for borrowing per resident. Tap a town to see its library.
| Town | Library | Loans per resident | Hours | Civic life |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Linn | West Linn Public Library | 13.1 | 52 | A− |
| Oregon City | Oregon City Public Library | 7.0 | 56 | B |
| Gladstone | Gladstone Public Library | 5.7 | 56 | B+ |
| Oatfield | None of its own | — | — | — unincorporated |
| Jennings Lodge | 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 Gladstone
Does Gladstone have a public library?
Yes. Gladstone Public Library, 135 E Dartmouth St., serves Gladstone’s 21,411 residents (the survey’s count) and is open about 56 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Gladstone Public Library fine-free?
It charges late fines on some overdue items (the library’s 2024 survey report).
How busy is Gladstone’s library?
It logged 1.8 visits and lent 5.7 print items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3.1 visits for libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000 people.
What is Gladstone’s civic life grade?
B+ Gladstone is ahead of 66% of U.S. towns on civic life, #69 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 Gladstone.
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.