Photo: M.O. Stevens · Public domainSherwood’s library lends 12 print items per resident, against a typical 3.9 for libraries its size
Sherwood Public Library serves Sherwood’s 24,750 residents. Last year it lent 308K print books and media and logged 180K visits.
Sherwood’s library, in brief
Sherwood ranks 3rd in Oregon for library use
Out of 30 Oregon towns with a library of their own, Sherwood comes 3rd for visits per resident. How it compares ↓
More than half the print loans are for kids
Children’s books and media are 60% of print loans, and kids’ borrowing per resident is higher than at 97% of similar-size libraries. That works out to about 32 items per child in Sherwood last year. Kids & programs ↓
Sherwood uses its library more than almost any town its size
Sherwood Public Library logs 7.3 visits per resident, against a typical 3.1 for libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000 people, and lends 12 print items per resident against a typical 3.9. On both counts it beats 91% of similar-size libraries across the U.S. How it compares ↓
The shelves work hard
Each of the 51,000 items on the shelves went out about 6 times last year, on average. What people borrow ↓
Most programs are for young children
66% of the 387 programs last year were for ages 11 and under, including about 4.1 a week for ages 0–5. 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 Sherwood’s civic life grade
On library visits, community nonprofits and volunteering, Sherwood is ahead of 85% of U.S. towns, #34 of 106 in Oregon. All three inputs are above most U.S. towns; library visits rank 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 →
118 community nonprofits are registered in Sherwood
5.8 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 (16 here), since whether a church registers depends on its denomination, not the town. 4 more name a national or statewide reach and are left out.
8.1%
8.1% of Sherwood’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 Sherwood’s residents live; 2022.
About 5 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 Sherwood last year.
Ahead of most similar-size libraries on 6 of 7 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000 people across the U.S.
Sherwood Public Library serves 24,750 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000.
Every hour the doors are open, about 102 items go out
Fiscal year 2024. The library’s own count.
More than half the print loans are kids’ books
308K print loans last year. The library didn’t report its e-book and e-audiobook loans.
Each of the 51K books and other items on the shelves went out about 6 times last year, on average.
Find it
Sherwood Public Library, 22560 SW Pine St., Sherwood.
No late fees. Loans renew on their own if no one’s waiting. Research databases: courses, journals, genealogy.
New in Sherwood? 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 $3.10 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Sherwood cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $43. Operating budget $1.4M.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $4.4M worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $1.4M 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 13,494 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sherwood | Sherwood Public Library fine-free | 12.4 | 58 | A− |
| Tualatin | Tualatin Public Library fine-free | 11.9 | 63 | C |
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 Sherwood
Does Sherwood have a public library?
Yes. Sherwood Public Library, 22560 SW Pine St., serves Sherwood’s 24,750 residents (the survey’s count) and is open about 58 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Sherwood Public Library fine-free?
Yes, no late fees (the library’s 2024 survey report).
How busy is Sherwood’s library?
It logged 7.3 visits and lent 12.4 print items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3.1 visits for libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000 people.
What is Sherwood’s civic life grade?
A− Sherwood is ahead of 85% of U.S. towns on civic life, #34 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 Sherwood.
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.