Photo: M.O. Stevens · CC BY-SA 3.0Sheridan’s library runs 20 programs per 1,000 residents, against a typical 34 for libraries its size
Sheridan Public Library serves Sheridan’s 5,987 residents. Last year it lent 18K print books and media and drew 977 people to its programs.
What stands out about Sheridan’s library
Read from the library’s own yearly report. The page puts what stands out first.
What’s behind Sheridan’s civic life grade
On community nonprofits and volunteering, Sheridan is ahead of 85% of U.S. towns, #33 of 106 in Oregon. Its library’s 2024 visits weren’t reported, so Sheridan 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.
The survey’s stand-in for Sheridan’s 2024 visits carries forward a 2022 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 →
33 community nonprofits are registered in Sheridan
5.2 per 1,000 residents, against a U.S. town median of 3.7. The largest group: civic groups, clubs & veterans.
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 (9 here), since whether a church registers depends on its denomination, not the town.
9.8%
9.8% of Sheridan’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 Sheridan’s residents live; 2022.
Ahead of most similar-size libraries on 2 of 6 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people across the U.S.
Sheridan Public Library serves 5,987 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000.
Every hour the doors are open, about 10 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.
Books and media off the shelf
18K print loans last year. The library didn’t report its e-book and e-audiobook loans.
Each of the 18K books and other items on the shelves went out about 1 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 Sheridan last year.
Find it
Sheridan Public Library, 142 NW Yamhill St., Sheridan.
No late fees. Loans renew on their own if no one’s waiting. Research databases: courses, journals, genealogy.
New in Sheridan? 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 Sheridan cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $43. Operating budget $287K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $283K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $287K 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 2,565 cardholders ÷ 12.
What this data can and can’t tell you
From the Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024.
- Not reported for 2024: visits. Sheridan Public Library didn’t report visits; the survey’s estimate carries forward its 2022 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 Sheridan
Does Sheridan have a public library?
Yes. Sheridan Public Library, 142 NW Yamhill St., serves Sheridan’s 5,987 residents (the survey’s count) and is open about 35 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Sheridan Public Library fine-free?
Yes, no late fees (the library’s 2024 survey report).
How busy is Sheridan’s library?
It lent 3.0 items per resident in 2024 (print) and ran 121 programs that drew 977 people. Visits weren’t reported for 2024.
What is Sheridan’s civic life grade?
A Sheridan is ahead of 85% of U.S. towns on civic life, #33 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 Sheridan.
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.