Numbers looking up for library

Gibson Memorial Library’s annual report shows attendance and circulation rising in the last year as library staff continue efforts to reach more of the community.

In the library’s strategic plan for the last two years, a number of goals were highlighted, with aims to “provide more inviting multi-purpose spaces for the community,” “get our materials into people’s hands” and “expand the reach of the library in the community.”

When it came to the multi-purpose spaces, the library achieved almost all of their goals, which included weeding worn and outdated materials throughout the library, rearranging the children’s area and providing more study and meeting space and updating various furnishings, such as the AC unit, lighting and carpeting. The only goal yet to achieve is to add new carpeting to the main upstairs reading room.

In regards to getting materials into the hands of the people, library director Danielle Dickinson Thaden said circulation has been improving. From 2022 to 2023, there was a 5.3% increase in all physical checkouts and a 17.2% increase in online checkouts.

“With our current numbers as of end of last month, we’re at 73% of 2023′s total, which puts us slightly ahead,” Dickinson Thaden said. “I don’t know that we’ll make it to the 10% annual increase as listed below, but I think we’ll get close. We’re certainly quite a bit ahead of 2022.”

In addition to more checkouts, the library has provided more checkout options in the last year. According to their annual report, the library added 3,274 books, 18 audiobooks, 64 video materials and 29 other materials throughout the year. Because of this increase in material, the library even had their first month of more books lent than borrowed via the InterLibrary Loan program.

With the third goal of expanding library reach, library staff have worked to increase the number of patrons coming to the library, the program attendance and library holders.

“Currently we’re up almost 19% for cardholders, so we definitely hit that goal,” Dickinson Thaden said. “Programming attendance, we knocked that out of the park. We were hoping for a 10% annual increase. Last year we had 47% and this year we’re 30% ahead of last year in June, and that was a good programming year. I’m very proud of that.” With door count, the library is currently at 85% of the 2022 door count.

While increasing library use is always in mind for staff members, the recent years have been more important than ever.

“It helps the state library advocate for why libraries are so important to their communities. It’s a lot of work, but when it serves that purpose, we can’t be mad about it,” Dickinson Thaden said. Earlier this year, various bills came through state legislation that would have taken funding away from public libraries and strip board members of their vote.

In other library news...

The summer reading program is officially over, with 367 participants. More than 7,500 books were read as part of the event.

The annual Friends of the Library sale will be Sept. 19. 20 and 21 in the back room of the Creston News Advertiser. Located at 503 W. Adams St., access to the sale will be through the east side door only. While books are not priced, shoppers are asked to leave a donation when they leave.

The library is looking into upgrading their integrated library system Apollo. With the upgrade, patrons would be able to learn more about the material in the library’s catalog, including seeing the cover, showing other books in the series, giving related suggestions and showing user-generated tags to view new material with the same tags.