Library · Oberlin
Allen Parish Libraries
Oberlin’s library is the Allen Parish Libraries, a branch of Allen Parish Libraries, open about 44 hours a week.
IMLS Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024County system. Oberlin’s branch belongs to Allen Parish Libraries, which serves 22,501 people. The yearly numbers below are for the whole system, not just this branch. A card works at every branch.
Your branch
Allen Parish Libraries
320 South Sixth Street, Oberlin 70655
44 hrsopen a week
7,500sq ft
Fine-freeNo late fees on books returned late
E-books & audiobooksBorrow from home with your card
Research databasesOnline courses, journals, genealogy and more
Fiscal year 2024
A year at Allen Parish Libraries
25K
visits
1.1 per resident
48K
loans, print + digital
2.2 per resident
461
programs & events
11K attended
15K
library cards
67% of people served
How it compares
Against libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000 people
Per-resident numbers, compared only with libraries of a similar size across the country, because a tiny town’s library always looks busier per person.
Visits per resident
1.1 visits · typical 3.1
Lower than most similar-size libraries (12th percentile)
Borrowing per resident
1.5 print items · typical 3.9
Lower than most similar-size libraries (17th percentile)
Digital borrowing
0.6 e-items · typical 1.1
A little below typical (31th percentile)
Kids’ borrowing
0.6 kids’ items · typical 1.8
Lower than most similar-size libraries (17th percentile)
Program attendance
0.5 attendees · typical 0.4
Higher than 55% of similar-size libraries
Cardholders
67% of residents
Higher than 85% of similar-size libraries
Borrowing & programs
What people use it for
What people borrow
48K loans last year
Books & media (adults)45%Kids’ books & media26%E-books, audio & streaming29%
Who the programs are for
461 story times, classes, clubs and events
Money
Who pays for it
$66 per resident a year
Typical for a library this size: $43. Operating budget $1.5M.
Local 91%State 3%Gifts & other 7%
About these numbers
How to read this page
Hours are an averageThe survey reports a building’s public hours for the whole year. We divide by the weeks it was open, so check the library’s own site for today’s hours.
Compared by size“Similar-size” means libraries serving about as many people, nationwide. Per-resident numbers always flatter the smallest towns, so they’re never compared with big cities.
One year, the library’s own countLibraries report their own visits, loans and programs for fiscal year 2024. A library that didn’t respond keeps its address and hours here, with no numbers.
Source: Institute of Museum and Library Services, Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024. Distances are straight-line from the town center.