Photo: Diana · CC BY 2.0Ashley has no public library of its own; the nearest is South Branch Library in Wilkes-Barre, 1.4 miles away
Ashley doesn’t have a public library of its own. The closest is South Branch Library in Wilkes-Barre, 1.4 miles away. Many small-town libraries give cards to neighbors, sometimes for a yearly fee, so call ahead.
D−Civic lifeAhead of 4% of U.S. towns · #1,007 of 1,029 in Pennsylvania. Nonprofits and volunteering.Getting a library card from Ashley
Ashley borrows from the libraries next door
Ashley has no public library of its own, but four libraries are within 10 miles, the closest being South Branch Library in Wilkes-Barre (1.4 miles). Many small-town libraries give cards to people from neighboring towns, sometimes for a yearly fee, so call ahead. Nearest libraries ↓
The closest isn’t the one open longest
South Branch Library is nearest, open about 20 hours a week. Osterhout Free Library, 2.4 miles away, is open about 57 hours a week, so it may be easier to fit in. Nearest libraries ↓
This summary is written from the numbers on this page. Distances are straight-line from the town center.
What’s behind Ashley’s civic life grade
On community nonprofits and volunteering, Ashley is ahead of 4% of U.S. towns, #1,007 of 1,029 in Pennsylvania. Ashley is graded on two of the three inputs. Both inputs sit below most U.S. towns; Ashley’s count of community nonprofits comes closest to the middle.
Most U.S. towns with similar household incomes ($42K–$71K) score higher, so income alone doesn’t account for it.
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 →
5 community nonprofits are registered in Ashley
2.1 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 (1 here), since whether a church registers depends on its denomination, not the town.
4.0%
4.0% of Ashley’s Facebook users aged 25–44 belong to a volunteering or activism group, against 7.0% in the typical Pennsylvania 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 Ashley’s residents live; 2022.
The closest is 1.4 miles away
Closest first, measured from the center of Ashley. Each one’s hours, and whether it charges late fines.
What this data can and can’t tell you
From the Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024.
- The library’s own count. Libraries report their own visits, loans and programs. A library that didn’t respond keeps its address and hours here, with no numbers.
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 Ashley
Does Ashley have a public library?
No. The closest is South Branch Library in Wilkes-Barre, 1.4 miles from the town center. Many libraries give cards to people from neighboring towns, sometimes for a yearly fee, so call ahead.
What is Ashley’s civic life grade?
D− Ashley is ahead of 4% of U.S. towns on civic life, #1,007 of 1,029 in Pennsylvania. 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 Ashley.
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.