Photo: 46percent · Public domainHarrisburg’s library lends 2 print items per resident, against a typical 3.8 for libraries its size
Harrisburg Public Library serves Harrisburg’s 3,660 residents. Last year it lent 7,311 print books and media and drew 647 people to its programs.
Harrisburg’s library, in brief
Few programs for a library this size
Harrisburg Public Library offered 3 programs last year, 0.8 per 1,000 residents against a typical 34. Kids & programs ↓
Below typical on every measure
Against libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people, Harrisburg Public Library sits below the middle on all five per-resident measures we compare, and in the bottom 30% on five. 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.
What’s behind Harrisburg’s civic life grade
On community nonprofits and volunteering, Harrisburg is ahead of 81% of U.S. towns, #44 of 106 in Oregon. Its library’s 2024 visits weren’t reported, so Harrisburg is graded on two of the three inputs. Both inputs are above most U.S. towns; Harrisburg’s count of community nonprofits ranks highest.
The survey’s stand-in for Harrisburg’s 2024 visits carries forward a 2023 figure, so it is left out.
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 →
29 community nonprofits are registered in Harrisburg
7.9 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 (5 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.
7.7%
7.7% of Harrisburg’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 Harrisburg’s residents live; 2022.
Below most similar-size libraries on all 6 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people across the U.S.
Harrisburg Public Library serves 3,660 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000.
Every hour the doors are open, about 5 items go out
Fiscal year 2024. The library’s own count.
Not reported for 2024: visits. The survey fills a missing figure with its own estimate; we leave estimates out rather than show them as the library’s count.
Almost half the print loans are kids’ books
7,311 print loans last year. The library didn’t report its e-book and e-audiobook loans.
Each of the 11K books and other items on the shelves went out about 0.7 time last year, on average.
3 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.
children’s books and media borrowed per child under 18 in Harrisburg last year.
Find it
Harrisburg Public Library, 354 Smith St., Harrisburg.
No late fees. Loans renew on their own if no one’s waiting. Research databases: courses, journals, genealogy.
New in Harrisburg? 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 $1.06 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Harrisburg cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $43. Operating budget $108K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $114K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $108K 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 722 cardholders ÷ 12.
What this data can and can’t tell you
From the Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024.
- Not reported for 2024: visits. Harrisburg Public Library didn’t report visits; the survey’s estimate carries forward its 2023 figure, so we leave it out and never rank it.
- 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 Harrisburg
Does Harrisburg have a public library?
Yes. Harrisburg Public Library, 354 Smith St., serves Harrisburg’s 3,660 residents (the survey’s count) and is open about 29 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Harrisburg Public Library fine-free?
Yes, no late fees (the library’s 2024 survey report).
How busy is Harrisburg’s library?
It lent 2.0 items per resident in 2024 (print) and ran 3 programs that drew 647 people. Visits weren’t reported for 2024.
What is Harrisburg’s civic life grade?
A− Harrisburg is ahead of 81% of U.S. towns on civic life, #44 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 Harrisburg.
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.