Photo: Tesint at English Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0West Linn’s library lends 13 print items per resident, against a typical 3.7 for libraries its size
West Linn Public Library serves West Linn’s 30,160 residents. Last year it lent 395K print books and media and logged 135K visits.
West Linn’s library, in brief
West Linn is a town of borrowers
West Linn Public Library lends 13 print items per resident, against a typical 3.7 for libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people, more than 95% of similar-size libraries. Each item on the shelves went out about 4.4 times last year. What people borrow ↓
Kids borrow more here than almost anywhere
Children’s books and media are 49% of print loans, and kids’ borrowing per resident is higher than at 95% of similar-size libraries. That works out to about 29 items per child in West Linn last year. Kids & programs ↓
The shelves work hard
Each of the 89,000 items on the shelves went out about 4.4 times last year, on average. What people borrow ↓
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 West Linn’s civic life grade
On library visits, community nonprofits and volunteering, West Linn is ahead of 79% of U.S. towns, #48 of 106 in Oregon. All three 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 →
122 community nonprofits are registered in West Linn
4.5 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 (17 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.
9.8%
9.8% of West Linn’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 West Linn’s residents live; 2022.
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 West Linn last year.
Ahead of most similar-size libraries on 5 of 7 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people across the U.S.
West Linn Public Library serves 30,160 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000.
Every hour the doors are open, about 146 items go out
Fiscal year 2024. The library’s own count.
Almost half the print loans are kids’ books
395K print loans last year. The library didn’t report its e-book and e-audiobook loans.
Each of the 89K books and other items on the shelves went out about 4.4 times last year, on average.
Find it
West Linn Public Library, 1595 Burns St., West Linn.
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 $2.74 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average West Linn cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $40. Operating budget $2.2M.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $5.9M worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $2.2M 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 13,875 cardholders ÷ 12.
Libraries next door
West Linn ranks 2nd of 5 for borrowing per resident. Tap a town to see its library.
| Town | Library | Loans per resident | Hours | Civic life |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Oswego | Lake Oswego Public Library | 14.5 | 51 | A− |
| 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+ |
| Oak Grove | Clackamas County - Oak Lodge Public Library | 4.9 | 39 | — unincorporated |
| Stafford | 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 West Linn
Does West Linn have a public library?
Yes. West Linn Public Library, 1595 Burns St., serves West Linn’s 30,160 residents (the survey’s count) and is open about 52 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is West Linn Public Library fine-free?
It charges late fines on some overdue items (the library’s 2024 survey report).
How busy is West Linn’s library?
It logged 4.5 visits and lent 13.1 print items per resident in 2024, against a typical 2.6 visits for libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people.
What is West Linn’s civic life grade?
A− West Linn is ahead of 79% of U.S. towns on civic life, #48 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 West Linn.
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.