Photo: Ian Poellet · CC BY-SA 4.0Myrtle Point’s library logs 8 visits per resident, against a typical 3 for libraries its size
Flora M. Laird Memorial Library serves Myrtle Point’s 5,707 residents. Last year it lent 23K print books and media and logged 46K visits.
The short version on Myrtle Point’s library
Programs are almost all for children
90% of the 229 programs last year were for ages 11 and under, including 36 for ages 0–5. Kids & programs ↓
People come to Flora M. Laird Memorial Library a lot
Flora M. Laird Memorial Library logs 8 visits per resident, against a typical 3 for libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people, more than 89% of similar-size libraries. Borrowing is above typical too, at 4 print items per resident. 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 Myrtle Point’s civic life grade
On community nonprofits and volunteering, Myrtle Point is ahead of 98% of U.S. towns. Myrtle Point is graded on two of the three inputs. Both inputs are above most U.S. towns; Myrtle Point’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 →
27 community nonprofits are registered in Myrtle Point
10.1 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 (10 here), since whether a church registers depends on its denomination, not the town.
11.8%
11.8% of Myrtle Point’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 Myrtle Point’s residents live; 2022.
Every hour the doors are open, about 11 items go out
Fiscal year 2024. The library’s own count.
Not reported for 2024: library cards. The survey fills a missing figure with its own estimate; we leave estimates out rather than show them as the library’s count.
Ahead of most similar-size libraries on 4 of 6 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people across the U.S.
Flora M. Laird Memorial Library serves 5,707 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000.
Books and media off the shelf
23K print loans last year. The library didn’t report its e-book and e-audiobook loans.
Each of the 30K books and other items on the shelves went out about 0.8 time last year, on average.
About 4 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 Myrtle Point last year.
Find it
Flora M. Laird Memorial Library, 435 5th St., Myrtle Point.
No late fees. Loans renew on their own if no one’s waiting. Research databases: courses, journals, genealogy.
New in Myrtle Point? 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 $1.77 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Myrtle Point resident borrows (the library didn’t report its card count for 2024).
Typical for a library this size: $43. Operating budget $250K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $442K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $250K 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 resident’s month = the library’s yearly loans and Wi-Fi sessions ÷ the 5,707 people it serves ÷ 12.
What this data can and can’t tell you
From the Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024.
- Not reported for 2024: library cards. The survey filled the figure with its own estimate, so it is left out.
- 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 Myrtle Point
Does Myrtle Point have a public library?
Yes. Flora M. Laird Memorial Library, 435 5th St., serves Myrtle Point’s 5,707 residents (the survey’s count) and is open about 42 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Flora M. Laird Memorial Library fine-free?
Yes, no late fees (the library’s 2024 survey report).
How busy is Myrtle Point’s library?
It logged 8.0 visits and lent 4.0 print items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3 visits for libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people.
What is Myrtle Point’s civic life grade?
A+ Myrtle Point is ahead of 98% 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 Myrtle Point.
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.